Times Like These
by avevale
Summary: AU-fic, Calzone. What if Callie and Arizona met in high school? Multi-chaptered.
1. Learning How To Smile

Times Like These 

Disclaimer: _I do not own the characters or anything related to Grey's Anatomy. That's courtesy of Shonda Rimes and ABC. This fiction is not meant to make money or to be harmful in any way. It's just pure for amusement._

**Author's Note: Usually, alternative reality isn't really my thing but I'm having way too much writing this one. I hope you enjoy it too! **

Thanks to _lizadizzle_ over at the C_A community for beta'ing!

* * *

Chapter 1 - Learning How To Smile

After wiping the tiny water drops off the mirror, Calliope Iphegenia Torres took a good look at herself. There were no blemishes on her skin for the first time in months. The sun in Florida apparently did have a positive effect on your skin, something she refused to believe, no matter how many times Aria told her. Her hair was still wet from the shower and she tied it down in a ponytail, while flashing herself a big smile. Four out of the fifteen years she spent in Nashville she had been wearing braces. Today was her fourth day living in Miami and yesterday she had finally gotten rid of them. It was strange smiling in the mirror without having to close her mouth, afraid there might be something stuck in the metal, something which had happened several times. Today was a new start.

At least, that's what her mother and sister kept telling her. A new high school, a new look, a new start. It was supposed to be a good thing, but Callie had her doubts. In Nashville, she had a little group of friends who understood her, knew her and knew where she came from. Just the fact that everything about Miami was new scared Callie. The beach, volleyball, surfers, sun-tanned and perky people...

"Callie! Hurry up! We have to go in fifteen minutes and I have to redo my make-up!" Aria said through the closed door.

Yes, Aria would fit in fine, Callie thought to herself. She looked at herself one last time before opening the door.

"Thank God," Aria mumbled, stepping into the bathroom.

Callie walked into her bedroom while brushing her teeth to look for something to wear. A few minutes later she was dressed in dark jeans and a sweat shirt and she entered the bathroom again to return her toothbrush. Aria looked at her outfit and walked up to her.

"Callie, sweetie, isn't that a little bit warm to wear in Miami?"

"Aria, just because you're older doesn't make you my mother," Callie frowned her eyebrows. "Besides, this is comfortable."

It wasn't like Callie was a geek or something. Yes, she liked science, she didn't wear the most fashionable clothes and she wasn't a social butterfly, but generally she was accepted by the crowd.

"I have told you this over and over again since you began developing curves. You have a nice body Callie, there's nothing wrong with showing a little bit of skin here and there." At that, Callie rolled her eyes. "Come here, I picked out an outfit for you yesterday."

Together they walked over to Aria's room. Callie looked at Aria's cheering outfit and photos from Nashville High. "You really don't have to do all this, you know? I can take care of myself."

"I know. But you're a Torres, Callie. Nothing wrong with living up to our family name. You know how happy you'll make Mom and Dad with dressing... nicely. And besides, without the braces and with your flawless skin nowadays, you might actually look really hot," Aria said to her with a wink.

Callie blushed a little since her sister didn't give her compliments often. Aria probably wanted the best for her anyways.

"Here," Aria handed her sister a low cut dark blue T-shirt. "This might even work with the jeans you're wearing." she said thoughtfully.

Callie quickly changed the sweat shirt for the T-shirt and looked in the mirror. It actually didn't look that bad and she liked the color on herself. "So, are you going to try out for the cheering squad?"

"Of course. Now, about your hair-"

"No, Aria. My hair is fine. I still want to look like... me."

Aria shrugged. "Fine then."

Callie smiled awkwardly at her sister. "Thanks for the shirt though... should we go?"

* * *

As much as she would have wanted the day to go by in a blur, it didn't. The first day at her new high school was going slow. Very slow. She had the same subjects as she had in Nashville; Biology, advanced Algebra, History, Literature and Economics among others. She had no idea what she wanted to pursue after high school, so Callie had chosen various subjects - a little bit of everything. It worked for her, she kept her grades up and wasn't bored too much throughout the day.

At the principal's office she met a girl called Andy with whom Callie shared most of her classes. Andy was called in for getting into a fight with her older brother at school. In English class, after introducing herself for the fourth time that day in front of a new class, Andy sat next to her.

"So, Callie, huh?" Andy said with a little smirk.

"Yep, that's me," Callie returned a smile. "You must've heard that for about the third time today, I guess. You were also at the principal's office, right?"

"Oh yeah, never mind that. Unfortunately I visit Mr. Greenwald pretty often... All of those times was entirely not due to anything I did though."

"Right," Callie laughed at her.

Throughout the class they talked a little bit more and at lunch Andy showed Callie around.

"End of the tour: the cafeteria. The second best place to be around here..." Andy told her while grabbing some lunch.

"The best place being?"

"The gym. Sports is a pretty big deal around here. Miami High is pretty much known for their exquisite softball-, basketball-, baseball-, football- and even cheer leading teams here in Florida."

Callie snickered. "My sister Aria is going to love that. She was a cheer captain at our previous school."

"Do you play anything?"

"No, not really. I wasn't involved in sports in Nashville anyway. Are you?"

"Yep, softball. Maybe I can even persuade you into joining the team!" Andy exclaimed excitedly.

"Maybe," Callie answered politely. "We'll see."

* * *

"Girls, how was the first day at school?" Carlos Torres asked his daughters at dinner that night.

Callie shrugged. "Fine, I guess. I met a girl named Andy, she seems pretty cool." Her mother smiled proudly at her daughter.

"I'm so glad you're making new friends, _mija_. This school will be good for you."

"Our last school was good for me too," Callie mumbled while turning her food over on her plate.

"Stop being so negative all the time, Callie." Aria said to her little sister, obviously irritated. "School was great, _mami y papi_. I met a few girls from the cheerleading team already and next week are the second try-outs for this season! But as I was captain in Nashville, they said I had nothing to worry about."

"Of course not," Carlos said with shaking his head.

"So, is it okay I bring some of the girls over sometime this week? I would really like to know them better."

At that, Callie rolled her eyes.

"Callie, don't roll your eyes at your sister," her mother said at a disapproving tone before answering to Aria. "That's fine, Aria. As long as you don't forget to bring Callie back as well. Oh, and Callie, if you want, you can bring your new friend any time you want too, of course."

"I'll see. Thanks Mom."

"What's wrong, _mija_? You look sad... I don't like to see one of my girls sad," her father said, putting his fork down.

Callie shook her head and faked a smile. "It's nothing, Dad. I know that you and Mom are happy here." Her father nodded.

"If there is anything I can do, just talk to me," he said before starting to eat again.

"I know, thank you, _papi,_" she told her father.

That night she went to bed early. Frankly, all Callie wanted was today to be over. The first day at Miami High wasn't as bad as she originally thought, but she missed her previous home. School itself wasn't that different though. True, the people were more tan and more into sports than in Nashville, but other than that, the schools were very alike. At least the people were friendly and she seemed to be making a new friend. Tomorrow will even be better, she told herself before falling asleep.

* * *

**Critique is welcome!  
V**


	2. Fascination

Times Like These

Disclaimer: _I do not own the characters or anything related to Grey's Anatomy. That's courtesy of Shonda Rimes and ABC. This fiction is not meant to make money or to be harmful in any way. It's just pure for amusement._

**Author's Note: Thanks for reviewing! I received a lot more story alerts than reviews, so I'm asking you to please review. I want to improve on my writing, so let me know what you think! I hope you enjoy this chapter - it's pretty long and Callie and Arizona officially meet.**

Thanks to lizadizzle over at the Callie_Arizona LJ community for beta'ing.

Chapter 2 - Fascination

Two weeks had passed since Callie moved. Today was Friday; the last day of her first school week at Miami High. The past week she had gotten to know Andy better and they had become friends. Andy had showed her around and introduced her to a few people, mostly members of the girls softball team. Callie's favorite period of time at school was lunch, where Andy told her about herself, the other people at their school and other happenings.

"Okay, now is the ultimate test. I'm curious if I've taught you well." Andy said before biting into her sandwich. "Those people over there, who are they?"

"Uhm... Members of the basketball team?" Callie tried, looking at the tall, masculine guys.

"Correct! Now, these people over here?" Andy pointed to the table next to theirs.

Callie looked at them. They looked an awful lot like the girls on their right side. "The girls who are in the school band?"

"Choir, but close enough. Now, the people walking in, the best people you will ever know, who are they?"

Callie snickered. "The girls from the softball team," she established while the girls joined them at their table.

"That's right. Oh, I see an interesting one. The group in the corner over there?" Andy nodded to her left.

Callie didn't have a clue, until she saw Aria joining them. "I don't know about the guys, but I bet those girls are cheerleaders."

Andy's jaw dropped. "How did you know that? I haven't told you about them yet. It was a trick question!"

"My sister, Aria, is sitting with them," Callie mentioned with a smile.

"Hmm, no fair," Andy pouted. "You get along with your sister?"

"Not really... So you might as well tell me about them, 'cause it's a small chance I'll hear it from her."

"Too bad you don't get along with your sister," Andy looked at her friend with a sad face. "See that blonde guy in their group? The tall one?" Callie nodded. "That's my brother, Tommy. We get along really well," Andy's lips curled into a genuine smile.

"I thought you were at Greenwald's office for fighting with him?"

Andy rolled her eyes, remembering the first time she met Callie. "We have our moments. But other than that, I love him. He's my brother, you know?"

Callie looked down at the table.

"And he's a cheerleader?"

"God no. He just likes to pick up girls," Andy said, rolling her eyes again. "Anyway, the brunnette sitting next to your sister is Hailey, she's captain of the cheer squad..."

Andy continued telling her about all the girls of the cheer squad sitting around Aria until the school bell interrupted her. At that moment, two slender people joined Aria's group, hugging each other. A girl and guy, both tan, blonde and apparently very happy.

"Who are they?" Callie asked intrigued. There was something about the couple that caught her interest. It wasn't that they both were very pretty, there was something different about them.

"The guy is my brother's best friend, Mick Robbins. They play basketball together. He's pretty good actually," Andy ate her last bite of her sandwich. Callie got up and reached for her bag, not letting the couple out of sight.

"And the girl? She's his girlfriend?"

"Eww, no. That's his little sister, Arizona. She skipped a year in middle school, so they're both seniors now. They're like, really close. You coming?"

Callie averted her gaze. "Yeah. Let's go." She slung her backpack across her shoulders and made her way out of the cafeteria with Andy and the other girls.

* * *

"Thank God it's weekend right?" Callie heard her friend say as she put a few books back into her locker. "So, what do you think of Miami High so far?"

"It's fine. I'm glad I met you," she replied, her lips curling into a smile. "Are you doing anything this weekend?"

"Not much. You wanna hang out?"

Callie's smile grew wider. "I'd like that." As she shut her locker, she saw Tommy approaching.

"Hey sis, ready to go home?" Tommy said lifting Andy a little into the air. "Hi Callie," he winked at her, making Callie blush a little.

"You bet. Put me down." Andy started moving in his arms and he obliged. "I'll call you later, okay?" Andy said.

"Okay," Callie put on her bag. She had to leave too, as Aria didn't like to wait on her if she wanted to ride along.

Tommy gave a her broad smile, flashing his white teeth. "Bye."

Callie turned a little redder and waved her friend and Tommy goodbye as she walked away. A few seconds later she heard Andy slapping her brother and telling him not to go after her friends again. The last thing she heard was him mumbling an agreement as she walked out the door.

One thing she didn't get used to in Miami was the bright sun, shining constantly. With narrowed eyes she searched for the dark blue cabrio on the parking lot. Hopefully, she would have her own driver's license and car a year from now.

"Calliope!" Aria drove the BMW in front of the school. There could only be one reason her sister used her complete first name and sounding happy saying it: Aria wasn't alone. Probably half of the cheering squad was sitting in the car, including that girl Arizona Callie had seen at lunch that day and the cheer captain.

"Great," Callie mumbled as she walked down the steps, putting on a fake smile. She suddenly felt the urge to walk home instead of riding along in a car full of cheerleaders for ten minutes.

"Girls, this is my little sister Callie. Come on, get in the car." Quickly, the brunnette moved to the backseat so Callie could join them. When she slammed the door shut, sitting with her backpack on her knees, Aria drove away. Callie could see the four girls sitting on the backseat in the rear-view mirror. The brunnette caught her looking and flashed her a toothpaste smile.

"Hi Callie! I'm Hailey."

Callie could see Aria glaring at her so she turned around and said hello back. She locked her eyes with Arizona's, whose cheeks turned a light shade of pink.

The cheer captain kept talking to her. "And, does Miami High live up to your expectations?"

"To be honest-" Callie could hear Aria hold her breath. Maybe it wasn't the brighest idea to tell the most passionate people of the school she didn't have any expectations to begin with. "...yes, it does." Aria exhaled again.

For the second time that day, Callie averted her eyes from the blonde girl, who was now beaming at her. Just like all the other girls from the backseat were, she noticed. As for as Callie was concerned, this was a little overshare of attention. Just as the wanted to turn back again, Hailey asked her another question.

"Ever think about trying out for cheerleading like your big sister?"

Next to the fact Aria was only one year older than her, Callie would never ever try out for cheerleading. She focused at a point on the floor of the car, trying to keep a straight face and not insult the cheerleaders.

"I, I... Uhm... I..." Callie stuttered.

"So, Hailey, sorry to interrupt, what time are we supposed to be at the try-outs tomorrow?"

Callie looked up at Arizona who gave her a little wink. Callie took that as her cue to turn around again after giving the blonde a smile as a sign of appreciation.

* * *

When they arrived at home, Aria and her friends went to the kitchen. Callie took the opportunity to hide out in her room to avoid any more social awkwardness and do some homework. It was rare Callie did any homework on Friday afternoons, she had actually made a rule once _not_ to do homework when the weekend had just started. It seemed stupid to be occupied with schoolwork when you just had five days full of it. But, when your home is taken over by cheerleaders and you don't have many friends, what are you going to do?

Though she only moved in a week ago, she had already unpacked all of her stuff. Callie wanted her room to be very personal, cosy and welcoming, so she could feel at home though outside her room everything was new and different. One wall was a dark purple and the other three were painted light grey, covered with paintings and posters. Her queen sized bed was covered in pillows, as was the couch which was positioned in the corner. Comfort was also an important factor in Callie's bedroom.

After throwing her schoolbag down next to her desk, she switched her stereo on. Quickly the beats from one of her favorite indie rock bands filled the room. Humming along to one of her favorite songs, she unpacked a few books and sat down at her desk. One of the assigments of next week was for Literature: they had to read a book and write a report about the theme of the book. Something she didn't exactly was looking forward to. It wasn't that Callie didn't like reading, in fact, she had four shelves stacked with books, but the book the teacher chose was a novel. In Callie's opinion, way too predictable and frankly she didn't get why people would go through all the pain and trouble just to be loved.

A small cough interrupted her from her thoughts and Callie looked up from her book to see Arizona standing in her doorway.

"I'm sorry to intrude, but I was looking for the bathroom and I got kinda lost," the blonde said sheepishly, gesturing to the hallway. "You have a _really_ big house..."

"Oh... It's across the hall," Callie replied before turning her attention back to the novel.

"I'm Arizona Robbins, by the way," Arizona told her, stepping one step further into the room.

"I know who you are." It sounded colder and a little more harsh than Callie had intended and Arizona's smile fell and she stepped back again. "I'm sorry, that was rude. I do that sometimes," Callie apologized. "I still wanted to thank you for this afternoon, in the car..."

Arizona smiled again and Callie noticed she had very distinct dimples. They looked good on her, Callie thought to herself.

"No problem. I know Hailey can get very excited about our school and when she does, she can get very...intimidating and persistant, you could say. And I know not everyone is all happy and 'Yay!' about cheerleading."

"You can say that," Callie said with a little grin. "I mean, no offense, it's... fine, it just isn't my thing."

Arizona nodded. "I get it. So... homework on a Friday afternoon?"

"Yeah, only I suck at it at the moment." Callie rolled her eyes.

The blonde's face turned serious. "Oh... What's wrong? Something I can help with?" She walked over to Callie's desk.

"Shouldn't you go back to your friends? I mean... I'm just asking," Callie mentioned smiling. "Otherwise..." she gestured to another chair.

"Nah, they can keep themselves entertained for a while," Arizona teased before pulling the chair closer and sitting down. "Looks we follow most of the same classes, Calliope." Callie looked surprised at the using of her full name. Normally she hated it when people said it, but coming from the cheerleaders mouth, it had a nice ring to it.

"Seriously? You skipped a grade _and_ you're into science?"

Now it was Arizona's turn to look surprised. "Plus the fact that I'm a cheerleader right? How did you even know I skipped a grade?" It was clear to Callie the blonde felt offended.

"No, don't be upset. I didn't mean it like that," Callie said apologetically. "I just didn't expect you to be a nerd, that's all," she joked.

Arizona laughed. "Well yeah... that's me. Except for Algebra. Chemistry, Biology and regular math I can handle, but Algebra..." She shivered and pulled a face. "Not my thing. So, maybe when I help you with..." she looked at the book Callie was holding. "...literature, you can maybe return the favor sometime by helping me out with Algebra."

"Sure," Callie nodded. She actually liked Math, and she was taking Advanced Algebra anyway. Helping a senior with 'regular' Algebra shouldn't be that big of a problem. Besides, she had tutored Aria several times in the past year.

Ten minutes later they were still discussing the main character in the book.

"I just don't get why he would do that for her."

"But that's love, Calliope. He's madly, head-over-heels in love with her. Haven't you ever been in love?" Arizona looked at her, batting her eyelashes once or twice.

When Callie didn't asnwer and looked awkwardly to the ground, she placed her hand on Callie's knee. When she felt the muscle tighten, she pulled away. "I'm sorry. I'm being too personal." She got up from the chair. "I just want to say... it's okay if you haven't. There shouldn't be any rush to it. When you truly love someone, nothing should matter. Not the time, place, age or the person." She walked back to the hallway. When she was at the door, the blonde turned around again. "And for what it's worth; I haven't either. Head-over-heels, I mean," she said with a grin, her dimples showing again. Then the cheerleading left.

"Bye," Callie mumbled looking at the empty doorway, confused about what just had happened.

**Critique is welcome!  
V**


	3. Can't You See

Times Like These

Disclaimer: _I do not own the characters or anything related to Grey's Anatomy. That's courtesy of Shonda Rimes and ABC. This fiction is not meant to make money or to be harmful in any way. It's just pure for amusement._

**Author's Note: Thanks for reviewing, the ones who did. :-) This chapter is a bit of a filler, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. Next chapter will be written from Arizona's POV.  
**

Thanks to _lizadizzle_ over at the Callie_Arizona LJ community for beta'ing.

* * *

Chapter 3 - Can't You See

"_Mija_, tell me. What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?" Maria Torres asked her daughter as she served a plate with toast and egg.

Callie had been absent-minded all weekend. The only few hours Mrs. Torres had seen her daughter smiling and happy was when her new friend, Andy she called herself, came over on Saturday. Yes, she could see Andrea was a good friend for Callie.

"I'm fine, _mamí._ Stop worrying so much," Callie replied, as she took her plate.

Her mother sighed and sat down. "I know you Calliope. I know you don't like changes and I know you always have a hard time adjusting."

Callie took a bite of her toast. "Seriously, Mom. I'm fine. Actually, Miami High isn't as bad as I expected it to be."

"Don't eat with your mouth full, I've taught you better than that," Maria disciplined her youngest daughter. "I'm glad you're making new friends. Andrea seemed like a nice girl."

"Her name is Andy," Callie corrected her, this time before eating another bite of her breakfast.

"I'm not so sure about that," her mother winked at her.

"Coffee!" Aria rushed into the kitchen, heading straight for the coffee machine. "I'm so excited for today! My first day as an official cheerleader for Miami High... Who could've thought."

Callie snorted soundly. "I could have."

Aria eyebrow shot up. "What is it with you? You can make the best things sound awful!"

"Girls!" Maria looked angrily at both of them. "Stop fighting for once in your lives. You two need to be nicer to each other. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

Aria and Callie both looked down at the table. They hated it when they made their mother upset.

"Now, say sorry." The girls mumbled their apologies and Callie finished her breakfast in silence while Aria poured herself a cup of coffee.

"The try-outs were so much fun! I almost feel bad for saying this, but this squad is so much more fun than the one back in Nashville. The girls are so much nicer to one another. Oh, and while we were there, I also met a few new athletes, but most of them I'd already gotten to know at school. There's this one guy, he's gorgeous, _mamí. _He's pretty tall and blonde-" Callie's head shot up. "And he plays basketball. He's such a good player! His name is Tommy!" Callie didn't know why, but she felt relieved. Surprised, but at the same time relieved.

"Seriously? You like Andy's brother?"

Aria nodded and grinned. "Actually, I think he kinda likes me too." Maria smiled and walked up to her oldest daughter.

"Of course he does, _mija_. Have fun at school today," she told Aria as she kissed her on the cheek. Then she walked over to Callie.

"I'm proud of you, Calliope. You've shown great maturity over the last few weeks. Time to get ready for school now," she also gave her youngest daughter a kiss and then started clearing the table.

* * *

Now that Callie began to know most of the people at school, the classes started to become boring again. Teachers gave their speeches, students stared ahead of themselves, talked to one another or doodled in their notebooks and the clock kept ticking. Being a junior sucked, in Callie's opinion. Sure, the new days as a freshman and as a sophomore were over, but you still had to go two more years before graduation. Although Callie didn't have the best relationship with her sister, she was a little jealous of Aria. After all, she was better looking, had loads of friends, not to mention boyfriends, and everyone seemed to like her. Plus, she was a senior now. Callie sighed. The one thing she had in advantage of her sister was that she was smarter. Too bad she didn't have a clue what to do with her intelligence so far.

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" A whisper interrupted her thoughts, coming from Andy, who sat next to her.

"The future," Callie answered. "Boring stuff, never mind. How was the rest of your weekend?"

A smile appeared on Andy's face. "It was good. I really had fun Saturday!"

Callie nodded and returned the smile. "Yeah, me too."

"You want to come over this afternoon, after PE?"

The schoolbell rang. "Sure, that'd be fun," Callie said enthusiastically.

At lunch, Callie couldn't help but drift away from the conversation she, Andy and the girls from the softball team were having. After the conversation she had with Arizona last Friday, the blonde cheerleader had haunted her thoughts all weekend. There was something captivating about her, something Callie could not quite grasp. The result being that Callie wanted to spend more time with her and get to know her better. She had actually missed Arizona this weekend, which was a little ridiculous as she only talked to her for about twenty minutes. But it was true - she missed her smile, her hair and even her scent, which was fruity and a little sweet. Another consequence was that Callie seemed to spot her everywhere at school. When she walked down the hallways, every blonde haired girl made her heart skip a beat. This didn't only confuse Callie, she also tried to deny it. After all, Arizona was a friend of Aria's, and Callie had learned at an early age that sharing wasn't something she and her sister did really well.

"What are you looking at all the time?" One of the girls at their table asked Callie turning her head in the direction Callie was staring at. "The cheerleaders?" The girl raised an eyebrow.

"It's nothing," Callie said, her cheeks turning a little red. The truth was she was hoping to see Arizona again.

"Something happened with your sister?" Andy asked while sticking her fork in her salad.

"Seriously, it's nothing," Callie laughed it off. "So, any games coming up?" Callie had learned one thing the week before; if there was one thing you could use to change the subject, it was softball.

The girls shook their heads. "Nah, the upcoming months are basketball and cheerleading tournaments, softball isn't until April or so."

"Hmm, that sucks," Callie said, taking a bite out of her apple.

"Not really though," Andy remarked. "It gives us only more time to practice."

"And win!" One of the girls added excitedly.

"So, how does PE work here?" Callie asked the girls, curious as that was the last activity at school that day. The week before the physical education teacher was sick, so today was the first time she had the subject.

"Well, our gym is huge, so a few classes of our school have PE at the same time. They also mix years, so seniors might have to play against the sophomores, etc. And sometimes when the gym isn't used that much, a part of a sportsteam is also there to practice," Andy replied. "Oh, and it's divided into periods - the first few weeks we start with basketball. I think volleyball is next. Again, softball and baseball is somewhere in the spring. This way, the members of the sport team have a little extra time to prepare themselves for the tournaments."

Callie nodded and a buzz sounded throughout the cafeteria. Slowly, people started moving and leaving. "Let's get going then."

* * *

Usually, Callie thought two hours of PE was way too long. But here, at her new school, she was actually having fun. She didn't know if it was her new appearance or the fact that the kids at Miami High were teamplayers, but she actually got hold of the basketball a few times - unlike at her old school. Her old classmates just pretended she wasn't there and dribbled around her.

"Callie!" A brown-haired guy called to her, dribbling towards her. She focused on the game again and walked a little towards the basketball net, evading a girl who was trying to block her. He passed the ball to her and she threw it towards the hoop.

"Score!" the same guy yelled happily. "Good job."

Andy, who was on the other team, had been right. People from all years had been mixed during PE - today they had the pleasure to play basketball with a few seniors.

The coach blew on his whistle. "Take five, everybody. Get some water or something. I don't want you all dehydrated, you're all working very hard, good job."

Callie jogged towards Andy, who was panting slightly. Together they walked over towards the dressing room.

"Wow Cal, you had me running pretty hard sometimes. Damn, you're fast."

Callie raised an eyebrow. "I am?" She grabbed a bottle of water. "I'm just taller than you."

"No, seriously, I think you have something here."

The door opened and Arizona walked in. Callie blinked a few times, making sure her mind wasn't fooling her like before.

"I mean, you lack a little technique, but you're actually good. I was just discussing it with Tommy during the game, you should really join the girls team!"

A few seconds later Aria and the rest of the cheer squad entered the dressing room and Callie stopped staring at the door. "Hey, are you listening?"

"Uh, yeah," Callie averted her gaze from the blonde cheerleader, who was chattering with her sister, towards Andy. "Joining the team, right. Sorry, but I really don't think-"

"Time's up, girls!" the coach knocked on the door. Callie took another swig of water and put her bottle away.

"Trust me," Andy told her. "Keep this up, and you'll be asked in no-time."

They left the room and before closing the door, Callie looked around one last time, to see Arizona looking back at her, flashing her a quick smile before the door closed.

They played the game for another forty-five minutes while the cheerleaders practiced on the other side of the gym. Callie wasn't as focused as before as she kept looking for Arizona between the other girls. She didn't know for sure, but sometimes she thought she was being stared back at. From a distance, the cheerleaders all looked kind of the same. Especially now they were wearing pretty revealing red skirts and matching tops. But somehow, she could always spot Arizona in a few seconds. There was something radiant about her that Callie couldn't put her finger on. God, the blonde's legs were lean, she thought to herself. The coach's whistle startled her from her thoughts and she saw Andy walking up to her. What was making her think about this girl all the time? Maybe the heat was getting to her, Callie reasoned as she walked out of the gym together with her friend.

* * *

**Critique is welcome, as always!  
**

**V  
**


	4. Daydreamer

Times Like These

Disclaimer: _I do not own the characters or anything related to Grey's Anatomy. That's courtesy of Shonda Rimes and ABC. This fiction is not meant to make money or to be harmful in any way. It's just pure for amusement._

**Author's Note**: Thanks for reviewing on the last chapter! I'm having way too much fun with this story. I really love this chapter, so I hope you enjoy it. Next chapter might take a little longer than usual, just so you know.

* * *

Chapter 4 - Daydreamer

Arizona Robbins had forgotten how much time school, cheer practice and work took in a week, not to mention trying to have a healthy social and family life next to those three priorities. This year, she discovered it wasn't easy being seventeen years old. However, life was good at the moment and she was happy. She liked going to school, the new cheer squad was really nice and her job as a babysitter was always fun too. And fourteen days ago, life had even become more interesting. She made a new friend who had moved here and was also a cheerleader. They shared the first three letters of their first names; the girl was called Aria. While Aria was really nice and a good friend, she wasn't to be called 'interesting'. No, the interesting part was her little sister; Calliope.

"Hey, I think we got the routine really down for tomorrow night," Aria walked up to her, putting her pom-pons in the locker next to Arizona's.

"Yeah, most definitely. The first basketball game of the year, how excited are we?!" Arizona said, her voice rising a few octaves at the end.

"Very! Besides, we get to see Mick and Tommy play," Aria said, grabbing a bottle of water.

"Tommy, huh?" Arizona raised her eyebrows.

"I really like him a lot." Aria nodded. "How is Mick doing? Is he nervous for tomorrow?"

Arizona shook her head. Her brother didn't get nervous easily and he knew he was a good athlete. Aria stared towards her lockers and bit on her lip. Arizona had learned over the weeks that when Aria was silent for more than minute, something was wrong or she was coming up with an idea. In the meanwhile, Hailey, their captain, had walked in.

"Hey girls, I'm really content with the work we did today! Arizona, your heel stretch is perfect and I'm glad I picked you as a flyer again this year. When you're up there, the picture really works, you know?"

"Thanks, Hailey," Arizona responded with a smile.

She loved being a flyer, being high up in the air. She was the perfect size for a flyer, and she didn't weigh much so she could be lifted easily.

"And Aria... your triple back handsprings are looking really good. See you girls tomorrow!"

Aria mumbled a 'thanks' as Hailey left the room.

"I got it!" she suddenly exclaimed.

"What?" Arizona asked, knowing Aria was brooding on an idea.

"The perfect plan. Tomorrow, after the game, we'll go to the movies! You, me, Mick and Tommy! That way it'll be relaxed and comfortable, but I can still flirt with him."

"Right," Arizona laughed.

"Oh, you'll do it right? Please, please?"

The blonde shut her locker.

"We'll see. We'll have to check with them first anyway."

A smile appeared Aria's face.

"You're so easy to please." Arizona laughed.

"I just like the guy, all right?" Aria said, grabbing her bag. "I love that we had practice early today. Long Mondays are killing me. Do you wanna get a drink?"

Arizona shrugged and looked at her watch. Two o'clock.

"As long as we get back here by four, I promised Mick I'd wait for him after PE."

"Okay, cool. I have to pick Callie up anyway. Do you know a good coffee place around here?" Her friend nodded. "Okay then, let's roll."

* * *

"I can't believe I only moved here three weeks ago," Aria mentioned, pulling into the parking lot of their school.

Arizona remembered it well. Two weeks ago she'd met Callie for the first time in the very car she was sitting in at the moment. That day, she had a conversation with her in her then she had seen the Latina around at school, locking eyes with her, but due to her busy schedule the opportunity hadn't arose to have some other interaction.

"I know right," Arizona responded. "You fit in really well." She looked at the clock in the dashboard. 3:40pm.

"Thanks," Aria glowed. "And thanks for, you know... being my friend."

"Aww, silly. The pleasure is all mine," Arizona laughed. "You want to get inside?"

"Nah, I'll wait here." Aria shook her head. "Will you ask your brother about tomorrow night?"

"I will," Arizona answered before getting out of the car.

"Thanks, Ari," her friend grinned at her. "Hey, isn't there someone you're into at the moment? We could double date if things work out between me and Tommy!"

Arizona's cheek flustered. She doubted the honest answer would please her friend.

"No, not really."

"Ooh, I'm tasting drama. Did something happen before I met you? Which dirty exes have you been hiding from me?" Aria took off her sunglasses.

"None!" Arizona started leaning against the door of the car.

Aria raised an eyebrow.

"No exes? Really?"

Arizona raised her shoulders.

"Nope."

"Aw! You're like a little Virgin Mary!" Aria grinned. "Why though? You're super popular and frankly not that bad looking. I bet you could get any guy you want."

Arizona shrugged again.

"I don't know. I guess I'm just not that into guys at the moment." She hoped that with that answer Aria would let her off the hook for a while. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Bye! Don't forget to-"

"Ask Mick, I know," Arizona laughed and waved her friend goodbye and walked into the gym.

Apparently the coach still had his class training and she walked over to sit on the bleachers. Arizona enjoyed watching her brother play, it reminded her of the times when she played basketball with him at home. When she heard someone call Callie's name, she remembered she had also been here the week before. She narrowed her eyes and started searching between the two teams. Arizona spotted her in no-time; she was at the far right of the court, shooting a ball at the net. Callie scored and her team mates cheered which caused Arizona to smile. The Latina seemed in her element, though Arizona could see she didn't use a lot of technique.

Cheerleading at games for over three years and having two athletic brothers had taught Arizona well. She continued to watch the girl move around the court and running past her opponents. Calliope was tall, which seemed to give her a minor lead on the other girls. But it wasn't only that, she was also pretty fast and her shooting was excellent. A soft blush appeared on Arizona's cheeks as she followed the Latina around. A few minutes later the coach whistled and the game was over. The winning team, which included Callie, got together to give each other a high-give.

"Seeing something you like, sis?" Mick whispered in her ear, causing her to jump a little.

She hadn't even noticed him sneaking up on her.

"Shut up, Micky" she slapped his shoulder playfully.

"No, I know that look. You're practically savoring someone. Who is it?"

"Am not," she answered while looking briefly at Callie who gave her a little smile, which made her blush even more.

Mick traced her eyes.

"Ah, the new kid. She's pretty."

Arizona raised an eyebrow at her brother.

"Ah, come on. You know it, I know it," he whispered as Arizona got up and rolled her eyes. "I still love you," Mick spread his arms. "Now, give me a hug."

"Ugh. You're sweating," she crossed her arms.

Mick lowered his arms and stepped off the bleachers.

"That hasn't stopped you before. You're just being stubborn because I'm right."

Arizona walked after him and saw Callie leaving the gym with her friend. Just before she walked out of the door, she looked back at her. Arizona lips curled into a smile and raised her arm to wave at her. Her smile grew wider when the Latina waved back before she ultimately left.

"See. This a beginning of things. Watch my words," her brother, who was now standing before her, winked at her.

"Whatever. She's Aria's sister, that's all," she said, not sounding very convincing.

"Right. Now, hop on, Robbins, we're leaving," Mick stated as he turned around.

Arizona grabbed both their bags and jumped off the bleachers onto her brother's back. She didn't care if it looked childish, it was something she and Mick had been doing since they were little kids and most of the peers at their school had already gotten used to it.

"Good game, Robbins," she patted his shoulder.

"Thanks sis."

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**Critique is welcome!**

V


	5. Hometown Glory

Times Like These

Disclaimer: _I do not own the characters or anything related to Grey's Anatomy. That's courtesy of Shonda Rimes and ABC. This fiction is not meant to make money or to be harmful in any way. It's just pure for amusement._

**Author's Note:** Longest chapter so far. Enjoy!!

* * *

_Chapter 5 - Hometown Glory_

It had been twenty-two days since Callie arrived in Miami and today seemed to be a festive day at their school. Colorful banners were all over the place, even some balloons were up and people were laughing and chattering loudly.

"What's all this?" Callie pointed to the decorations around the lockers.

Andy's head shot up.

"Can't you read? It's Game-day!"

"Game-day?" Callie cocked her head and raised her eyebrows.

Andy put a few books in her bag and shut her locker. "Every two weeks there's a game on Tuesday. Tonight's the first game of this year. The guy's varsity team is playing today against Fort Lauderdale's team. The girls team is up in fourteen days. Anyway, everyone's excited because of the start of the new season."

"You weren't kidding when you said sport is a big deal around here." The latina smirked.

"Nope. But, you'll have to come tonight. I'll be there. Practically everyone at school is coming. Besides, Tommy is playing so you owe it to me."

"Owe it to you how exactly?" Callie asked her friend confused as they walked over to their class.

"Damn. I hoped you would fall for that one." Andy pouted. "You have to come tonight though! For me. Please?"

Callie laughed.

"How could I resist that. Are the... uh, cheerleaders coming as well?" she wondered.

"Yeah, they're cheering. Why?" Andy looked confused as Callie did a little happy dance in her head. It meant she could see Arizona again tonight, something she had hoped over the past week but she hadn't seen the blonde around much.

"I uh... was wondering if I could ride along with my sister," she lied, but Andy didn't seem to notice.

"I'm sure my parents and I could come and pick you up? I guess your sister has to be there early as well as Tommy," Andy said as they sat down at their table.

"That'd be great, thanks," Callie replied with a smile before she focused her attention towards the teacher who walked in.

* * *

That evening Andy and her parents picked Callie up at seven o'clock, the game started at eight, so they were a little early. Apparently it was going to be crowded in the gym and Andy wanted a good place to sit. When they entered the gym, Andy's parents went to sit down as the two girls stayed around to talk to a few peers. One of the girls they were talking to was named Lucy.

"Hey Luce, have you seen Callie play the last couple of weeks?" Andy asked her.

Callie had learned during the first class of PE that Lucy was in the varsity team of the girls basketball team. She was a good, competitive player with tall legs and red hair, usually tied up in a pony tail.

"Yeah," Lucy nodded smiling. "Did you play at your former school?"

Callie felt her cheeks burning up. She had a little trouble being put in the spotlight like that. "No, I didn't," she laughed uncomfortable.

"Hmm. We're a few players short in the varsity team. Maybe if you start training with our junior team you could end up as one of our back-up players this season," Lucy seemed sincere.

"I'll think about it," Callie replied. She never thought of herself as anything near a jock, but she really liked playing every Monday afternoon.

"Maybe she'll get inspired by the game tonight," Andy winked at Lucy and nudged her friend. "Let's go sit down."

"Sure," Callie replied and gave Lucy a shy smile. "Bye."

Callie had to admit that Andy had been right, the game was very inspirational. The guys were on top of their game, focused and in good health. The interaction between the players was the most remarkable aspect in comparison to the other team. Every player knew where his team mates were and they seemed to read each others minds. Callie enjoyed watching the game very much. The fact that they beat Fort Lauderdale's team might have been a contributor to that as well.

The basketball players weren't the only ones on Callie's mind though. Her eyes often wandered towards the cheerleaders. They gave short yells during the game and cheered together with the audience when the team scored and during the break they did a little routine. Whenever Arizona faced the audience, Callie couldn't help but look at her. She even stared at the cheerleader when she was turned around the other way, but she tried to focus her attention to the game on those moments because she didn't want to come forward as a complete stalker. The funny thing was that whenever they gave one of their yells Arizona would look back at her, her blue eyes interlocking with hers. The effect being Callie started to mouth the words along to the yells while smiling at the blonde. She never thought she would get this close to participating in something with such a high school spirit level.

Ten minutes after the closing whistle of the game had been whistled pretty much all of the crowd who were sitting at the bleachers before were standing on the floor talking to one another. The basketball players as well as the cheerleaders had gone to change clothes or to review the game in the dressing room. Now they were coming back in little groups to talk to their family or friends.

Callie was standing in a small group of friends when she saw Arizona coming back into the gym together with her brother Mick. They walked over to a smaller boy, who high-fived both of them. He had identical blonde hair and though Callie couldn't see his face, she'd guess he would also have dimples and blue eyes. He looked about ten years old. Their mother walked up to them, hugging first her older son and then her daughter. Callie could tell it was their mother immediately, she looked just like Arizona only with light brown hair and a little older. The latina could see Arizona would probably age really well too.

In the meantime Andy's brother had joined their group.

"Hey Andy, I'm going to the movies with a few girls and possibly Mick, so I'm not riding along with Mom and Dad, okay?" He flashed a smile at Callie, who subsequently looked towards to the floor.

"You're such a player," Andy teased him. "But uhm, sure. I'm not either, I'm getting a drink with friends later on. Will you go tell them?" Tommy nodded and walked off.

Andy looked at Callie questioningly. "Are you going with us? Or are you riding back with Aria?"

Callie looked over to her sister, who was chatting with a few fellow cheerleaders.

"I'll think I'm going back with my sister, I'm pretty tired. Thanks though," she smiled genuinely.

"Okay, we're going to go then. I'll see you tomorrow, 'kay?"

Callie waved good bye to the girls and made her way to her sister.

"Hey, can I ride along home with you tonight?" she asked her Aria.

The brunette cheerleader looked around, clearly irritated.

"I have a date with Tommy tonight Callie! This is the worst possible timing ever," she sighed.

Callie saw Arizona approaching them and she waved at her, which caused Callie's lips to curl into a smile.

"What are you smiling at? It's not funny!"

"No, it's not that," Callie said shaking her head and trying to keep her face neutral. "But I heard he was going out with a couple of girls?"

Aria grabbed her sister by her arm and took her a little away from the group of cheerleaders.

"No. He's going out with me. And Arizona and Mick are also coming, so it's like a double date. Only Arizona and Mick aren't dating, that would be gross."

"That would be gross, indeed," Arizona tuned in, grinning at me. "What's up?"

"Calliope wanted to ride along, but I just explained why that's impossible," Aria said to her.

"And why's that exactly? She can join us, can't she? Will you?" She looked at Callie with those gorgeous blue eyes.

Before Callie could say anything, Aria looked desperately at her friend.

"Arizona! This was supposed to be like a double-date thing!" Aria tried to keep her voice down.

Arizona looked confused and shook her head. The dating-your-brother scenario didn't seem to flow well with her.

"Well, Micky isn't coming anyway. He went home with my mother and my little brother. He and Kenny had some kind of deal to play a game or something."

"Really?" Aria bit her bottom lip.

"Yes, but it all works out because Calliope can join us. She could be my date, so to speak," the blonde winked at Callie.

Aria didn't notice but laughed out loud.

"Right. You're funny," she nudged her friend. Then she looked at her younger sister suspiciously. "You're up for it?"

Callie looked back and forth between the two cheerleaders.

"Sure," she finally agreed.

She knew Aria wouldn't be too thrilled about it, but she would be busy with Tommy anyway. Besides, having a so-called date with Arizona was worth any possible trouble with her sister later on, Callie decided.

* * *

An hour later they were sitting in the movie theater watching a horror movie. Tommy had decided which movie they were going to see, followed by the comment they could all find comfort with him if they would get scared. Both Arizona and Callie had rolled their eyes at that comment and decided to sit a few rows before them, to Aria's content. Callie was a huge fan of horror movies, she loved the adrenaline rush she got from them. Arizona however wasn't that big of a fan. She had kept her mouth shut when Tommy picked the movie because she saw a big grin appear on Callie's face as well as Tommy's. Aria had been excited as well as she had an excuse to seek comfort by her date. She didn't want to spoil the evening for her friends so she held her tongue.

It was harder than Arizona thought to keep herself from cringing than she originally thought. She could handle a few scares and blood, but this movie was outright disgusting and really frightening. She was clamping herself to her chair, trying not to extract any attention from the latina beside her. She didn't want her to think she was a wuss. Fortunately, Arizona only had to suffer for eighty minutes.

As they left the movie theater Callie and Tommy chattered excitedly about the movie. Aria felt overshadowed by her little sister and interrupted their conversation.

"Hey, as we arrived with two cars, why don't I ride along with Tommy? Arizona, you can ride my sister home, can't you?" The older Latina threw her keys towards her friend.

"Sure," the blonde mumbled and grasped for the keys. However, she didn't catch them and they fell onto the ground. By the time Callie had picked them up for the cheerleader, the wheels of Tommy's car screeched as it turned around the corner.

"Sorry to trouble you," Callie said while she handed the keys over. "I would drive myself home and drop you off, but I don't have a license yet."

Arizona threw her a little smile. "It's okay," she replied. They both sat down in Aria's car and Arizona started the car by turning around the car keys.

"Is something wrong?" Callie asked cautiously. "You're awfully quiet for... you know, you. And to be honest, you're looking a little green."

The blonde let her head fall against the steering-wheel. "I'm not a big fan of horror movies." At that, the latina raised her eyebrows.

"Why didn't you say something when Tommy picked out the movie?"

Arizona looked up. She raised one eyebrow and faked a smile.

"Because I didn't want to ruin the night for you guys."

"Aw, that is sweet. And totally unnecessary. I would've gone to every single other movie out there with you."

"You would have?" The cheerleader looked surprised.

"Of course." Callie nodded. "Are you feeling okay now though? Can you drive? Can I do something to help?"

"No worries," Arizona laughed softly. "You being here is helping a lot already," she said starting the car.

Callie felt herself getting a little red so she stared out of the window with a smile plastered on her face. A few minutes and some small talk later Arizona pulled up the car in the driveway.

"You want to come upstairs for a little while?" Callie asked her. "Looks like Aria and Tommy aren't back yet."

"Yeah, sure," Arizona smiled back genuinely. "I need a ride back home from one of them anyway and I think it could take a while."

"Ew," Callie said laughing as they both got out of the car. "I so do not want to know what my sister is doing right now."

They walked up the steps to Callie's house and together they walked over to the kitchen. Callie offered Arizona something to drink while she gestured her to sit down.

"Water is fine, thanks," Arizona answered sitting down.

The latina grabbed two bottles of water and handed one over.

"You know, I'm thinking about joining the girls basketball team. Not the varsity team of course, but I have to start somewhere."

"Really?" Arizona's eyes widened. "That's so exciting!"

"You think so? I'm still a little in doubt," Callie said biting on her lip.

Arizona nodded. "You should definitely join the team. I saw you play the other day and you really have some potential."

A smile appeared on Callie's face. "Thanks... It means a lot to me, hearing you say that."

The blonde grinned at her, her dimples showing. She thought about what her brother had said that week. She knew he was right and maybe she should give it a go, even though there probably aren't any feelings in return.

"To be honest, Calliope... I think you're pretty... awesome."

Callie's eyes widened as she spit out a little water she was trying drink, followed by a few coughs. Arizona's eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"Are you okay?"

Callie coughed some more and grabbed a cloth to clean the counter. "I'm.. I'm fine. Sorry, I'm not very good at drinking water, apparently," she said joking.

Then they heard a door slamming shut and Aria giggling loudly. A few seconds later both Aria and Tommy entered the kitchen, both wearing a big grin on their faces.

"Ew," Callie said softly, rolling her eyes.

At that, Arizona laughed secretly, blocking her mouth with her hand. She didn't want to insult her friend. Aria pretended not to have heard her sister's comment. She turned around to face Tommy.

"So... I'll see you later?" she said to the basketball player.

"Yeah, definitely," he replied with a presumptuous smile. He touched Aria's arm and then looked over to the other cheerleader. "Can I give you a ride home?"

"That'd be great, thanks," Arizona answered and hopped of her chair. "See you later, Calliope. Thanks for the water," she smiled thinking about what just happened. "Bye Aria."

"I'll walk you two out," Aria said and slid her arm behind Tommy's back.

They walked out of the kitchen, leaving Callie alone with her thoughts. She put away her bottle of water and wandered of to the bathroom, where she found her mother brushing her hair.

"How was your evening, Calliope?" Maria looked at her daughter. She looked tired, but a smile lingered on her face.

"It was... interesting. Goodnight, _mami_."

"Sweet dreams, _mija_," Callie heard her mother reply as she walked out of the bathroom.

She felt dazed, but in a good way. Somehow, she felt that everything will all be okay.

* * *

**Critique is welcome!**

**V  
**


	6. Wicked Game

Times Like These

Disclaimer: _I do not own the characters or anything related to Grey's Anatomy. That's courtesy of Shonda Rimes and ABC. This fiction is not meant to make money or to be harmful in any way. It's just pure for amusement._

**Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews on last chapter. Sorry for taking so long to update! I would really recommend listening to this chapter's songtitle, _Wicked Game_ by _Stone Sour_. It's a beautiful song.

* * *

_Chapter 6 - Wicked Game_

The night after the double date Callie Torres slept better than she had in a long time. The next few days she felt energetic and happy. Both her friends and family noticed the difference in her and asked her why she was so vibrant. Most of the time she said it was an effect of the sun shining all day long. But Callie knew that her sun was called Arizona. She was dumbfounded by the effect the blonde had on her.

Callie looked up, hearing someone call her name. She blinked, realizing she had been staring at the locker for at least a minute.

"Coach," she greeted her teacher who was walking up to her.

"I'm really content with the work you've been delivering in class. Yesterday I saw some real improvement in you," he smiled. "I was wondering... We have a lot of girls with injuries in the varsity team this year and the games are coming up. If possible, I would like to have you training with the junior team as well as the varsity team. You can learn the rules and technique of the game in the junior team and at the same time, you can get acquainted with the girls from the varsity team."

Callie blinked a couple of times. "Really?"

"Really. However, I don't want you to get your hopes up. You do have potential and I'm positive you'll improve a lot in the upcoming weeks, but I have a team up and running. It'll take a while before you can join the team at games and so on."

"Of-, of course," the Latina stumbled.

"Can I assume you're interested?" the Coach smiled.

"Yeah, definitely," Callie answered. She might have been in doubt the week before, but Arizona judgment persuaded her. However she wasn't doing it for the blonde alone. There was a good possibility her physical condition would improve, she would make a few more friends and she actually enjoyed playing the game. She knew training would take a lot of free time, but she was bored at home anyway.

"I never assumed I could train with the varsity team, though."

The Coach smiled. "Like I said, we could use a player like you. Junior training is Wednesday afternoon, so if you can I'd like you there today. Varsity training is Friday afternoon. Can you make it?"

"I'll be there," Callie nodded. "Thanks for the opportunity, Coach."

"See you this afternoon," he smiled again and walked off nodding.

"What was that all about?" Andy came up behind her, leaning against the locker next to Callie's.

"I just joined the basketball team," Callie looked a little confused at her but smiled none the less.

"Really? That's so cool," her friend gave her a quick hug. "Can I just tell you one thing?"

The Latina raised her shoulders. "Sure."

"Told you so," Andy snickered.

"Shut up!" Callie smiled again.

She closed the door of her locker and they walked to their next class. As they discussed the upcoming weekend, Callie couldn't help feeling nervous but also very excited about the training later that afternoon.

* * *

A few hours later Callie was back in her room, trying to make headway on her homework. Her mind kept wandering off her assignments, thinking about the training with the junior basketball team. The girls were all very nice and supportive, making her feel like a part of the team immediately. She had expected all the girls to be younger than her. Most of them were younger, however, there were a few other peers of the same age who didn't make the cut to the varsity team this year. They were probably also going to be back-up players. There was one thing Callie didn't understand though; why could she train with the varsity team and the other players couldn't?

The phone started to ring and Callie got up from her seat to answer, but after a few seconds she heard her sister rushing over the hallway to snatch it up. Aria had been talking about Tommy all week. Only this week, Callie didn't mind the constant chattering of her sister. After all, her sister's evening reminded her of her own evening. An evening which brought a smile on her face every single time thinking about it.

A rapid knocking on her door interrupted Callie's train of thoughts.

"_Entra_," the younger Latina called out, indicating that it was okay to enter her room.

Aria opened the door holding the phone in her hand.

"Arizona's on the phone."

Callie's heartbeat skipped a beat, but she shrugged, trying to look indifferent. "So?"

"She wants to talk to you," Aria rolled her eyes, something which seemed to run in the family.

"Me?" Callie's voice raised an octave and she cleared her throat. "Uh, why?"

Aria sighed. "I don't know. Something about tutoring or whatever. Here," her sister walked over to hand over the phone. "Don't be too long. Tommy might call."

Callie nodded and waited until Aria left her room and had closed the door. Then she exhaled before answering the phone. She felt ridiculous; being nervous over a phone call.

"Hello?"

"Calliope?" Arizona sounded a little insecure, not like her usual self.

"Yeah, it's me," Callie smiled and tucked the phone between her shoulder and her head. "How are you?" she tried to make conversation when the blonde didn't reply immediately.

"I'm good," the blonde's voice sounded a little perkier again. "I really had fun at the movies the other day."

Callie's smile grew wider. "You did? Despite the gushing blood and all other torment?"

"I did," she heard Arizona laugh softly. "It's really not the gushing blood I have problems with. I just can't stand little dead boys, creeping under your bed or behind your walls."

"I can see that," Callie shrugged.

"But how have you been? I haven't seen you around much the past few days.." Arizona rambled. "You know, at school…" she added awkwardly.

A giggle escaped Callie's mouth, she liked the cheerleader acting out of character. Somehow her own nerves had calmed down the second she heard Arizona's voice.

"I've been fine, thanks. I actually took your advice at heart and joined the basketball team today."

"Really?" the cheerleader asked, sounding excited. "Did you already go to training today? At least, I thought junior training was on Wednesdays..."

Callie nodded and cleaned off her desk while responding. "Yes, it was today."

"How did it go?"

The brunette loved that she was so interested. She could tell Arizona would be a great friend; another thing Callie secretly envied about her sister.

"The girls are all very nice and I learned a lot already. Something I really have to work on is my stamina though, especially since I also will be training with the varsity team on Friday," Callie said excitedly.

"Seriously?" Arizona laughed. "That is so great! Congratulations, Calliope."

Callie was surprised at Arizona's excitement, she noticed the blonde was genuinely happy for her. She hoped she didn't understand her the wrong way though. "I'm not on the team though. It's just training."

"But still," Arizona said in earnest. "It's quite the achievement. You're going to be one busy lady."

"Yeah, I guess," Callie laughed at the cheerleader's teasing tone. After a rapid knocking, Aria opened Callie's bedroom door and hissed if she was done yet. Callie shook her head and returned her attention to the phone.

"Hey, I'm sorry… Was there something else you wanted to talk to me about, 'cause my sister wants the phone free for her future boyfriend," Callie said, rolling her eyes.

Aria grunted softly and narrowed her eyes before leaving the room.

Callie heard Arizona giggle on the other end of the line.

"Let me guess, she's pretty much harassing you?"

At that, Callie laughed softly.

"She's pretty persistent," she agreed.

"But to answer your question, yeah. I was wondering if you could return the favor of a few weeks ago. I've been trying to do this Algebra homework all afternoon and I just don't get it. Could you help me out?" Callie smiled at Arizona's pleading tone. How could she say no to that? "Or did you have something else planned for tonight?"

"I was going to go for a run, you know, build some stamina. I can hardly keep up with the other girls," she answered.

"Oh," she heard Arizona say disappointedly.

"No, don't get me wrong. I'd love to help you out tonight, I'll postpone the running," Callie said.

She didn't mind postponing it at all, she thought running was kind of boring anyway. Besides, this way, she would see Arizona again tonight.

"Really?" Arizona sounded surprised.

"Seriously, anytime," Callie nodded. She didn't know exactly why, but she'd do anything for this girl.

"You're so kind," Arizona said softly. "You know, I don't want to intrude on your plans any further, but I might have an idea."

"Please tell," Callie smile widened even more as she started clearing up her desk.

"We might go for a run together, if you like? Maybe after we finished the Algebra stuff?"

Suddenly running didn't seem boring anymore to Callie. However, was it a good idea to go running with such a beautiful girl? She might not keep her eyes off of the cheerleading and run into a pole or something. Still the question didn't linger very long in her head.

"I'd really like that, thanks Arizona," she replied excitedly.

"What about after dinner, I'll change into something more comfortable and I'll head over to your place?" Callie couldn't help but wonder what it was that she was wearing which was less comfortable. Why did these thoughts keep occurring in her head?"

"Erm, sure. Sounds good. I'll see you tonight then."

"Yeah. Give Aria my apologies for keeping you and the phone busy for so long," Callie imagined Arizona smiling to herself. "Bye, Calliope."

"Bye," Callie said a little puzzled and she hung up the phone.

A knot began to form in her stomach, she could tell she was beginning to feel nervous. Callie wished her feelings weren't so strong about the cheerleader. Having these mixed emotions could be a little exhausting sometimes. She was sure tonight was going to be a lot of fun though. Again, a knock interrupted her from her thoughts.

"Are you done yet?" Aria stepped in her room.

"Yes," Callie sighed and handed over the phone. Aria walked out of her room but returned a few seconds later.

"What did she want from you anyways?" she raised an eyebrow.

A blush appeared on Callie's cheeks and raised her shoulders. "Like you said, just tutoring," she tried to sound carelessly.

Aria shrugged as well. "Hmm 'kay. Mom wanted to let you know dinner's ready. Are you coming?"

"Yeah, in a minute." Callie replied and waited until Aria had left her room.

She got up out of her chair and started to dance around on the beat of one of her favorite songs. She knew it looked a little silly when she danced like this, but she hoped it would make her feel a little less out of her element so her parents and sister wouldn't keep asking what was wrong with her over dinner. After the chorus was over, she turned off her stereo and walked out of her room. She did feel a little better, but she couldn't help but wear a big smile on her face. Ah well. Her family would just have to believe she was only happy about making the basketball team.

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**Critique is always welcome.**

**V  
**


	7. Wanderlust Don't Ask Me Why

Times Like These

Disclaimer: _I do not own the characters or anything related to Grey's Anatomy. That's courtesy of Shonda Rimes and ABC. This fiction is not meant to make money or to be harmful in any way. It's just pure for amusement._

**Author's Note:** Sorry it took me SO long to update. I spent all my time studying for exams, which went well except for one. But that was entirely not my fault. ;-) I hope you enjoy this chapter, I liked writing it very much. It's a long one! I have the next chapters written already so I'm promising you regular updates.

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_Chapter 7_

**Wanderlust**

Throughout dinner I kept shoving the food on my plate around. Aria talked for ten minutes about cheer practice, Tommy and her shopping spree at the mall. Mom discussed her new mascara by some well-known brand with her for another five minutes until Dad ended the conversation by introducing a new subject.

"Maria," he said, after taking a sip of his wine.

"Yes, dear?" My mother puts her fork down.

"I was thinking the other day. Calliope has been sixteen for a while now and with us moving we haven't really paid attention to it..."

The second he mentions my name I turn my attention to the conversation. Suddenly I see that I've made a big 'A' out of the green beans on my plate. I feel my cheeks warming up and I quickly shove a few beans out of their order before anyone notices it. What has gotten into me lately?

"But it might be a plan for her to start learning how to drive, so she doesn't has to be dependent of Aria all the time." He finishes, smiling at me.

"Sounds good to me," Aria interrupts him.

My mother nods and folds her hands under chin. "You're right, Carlos. It might actually bring some relief to both girls..." She turns her head towards me. "What do you think, _mija?_ Are you ready to get your license?"

I quickly nod and my lips curl into a smile. I drop my fork and knife, get out of my chair and quickly run towards my father. My arms clasp his shoulders and my grin grows wider. "Thank you, Daddy."

"I thought that might make you happy," he says patting my hand. "Now, mind your manners and sit down." I do as he says and take a few bites of a potato.

"Did anything happen to you today?" My Dad asks while finishing his wine.

I slowly nod. "I totally forgot to tell you, but I joined the basketball team today." I glance towards my parents to try to see what they think.

"Really?" Aria raises her eyebrows.

"Really," I answer, my eyes still focused on my parents. My Dad nods and my mother has a smile plastered on her face. "Is that okay?" I ask them.

"We're very excited for you," My mother tells me reassuringly.

"Just don't let your school work suffer, okay?" Dad warns me.

"I won't." Then I look over to my sister, who is inspecting her nails thoroughly. Subsequently she shrugs and looks at me with a small smile.

"You might actually make some decent friends... The girls on the team are nice," she mumbles.

I decide not reply to the 'decent friends' remark and take a sip of water.

"Oh, one more thing," I announce to my parents. "I've decided to tutor someone, she's coming over later. Is that okay too?"

My mother nods again, excitedly. "It's good to see you are being out there and making new friends." My father, on the other hand, looks at me a little suspiciously.

"Who?"

I swallow. Inviting a boy over to make out is more an Aria thing. Though... no. Let's not go there. "Arizona Robbins," I say in a small voice. Across the table, Aria rolls her eyes. Like I mentioned earlier, sharing isn't a thing we do best. "Aria's friend," I say, trying to sound a little more convincing.

"I've met her before," my mother nods towards my father. "A nice girl, very polite."

Relieved I let out a little sigh. However, my father isn't done interrogating. "Is she paying you?"

"No," I answer, laughing. "It's just a favor. Probably a one time thing, anyway," I try not to sound too regretful.

"All right then," my father agrees and I silently finish my dinner.

A few minutes after we cleared off the table the doorbell rings. The knot in my stomach tightens again as I get off the couch and make my way over to the door. I'm beginning to wonder if I'm not coming down with something. It's not normal to feel like this, right?

Before I open the door, I shake my arms loose beside my body and breathe out. As I open the door, I see her pacing back and forth, holding her books closely to her chest. When she sees me standing in the doorway she stops abruptly and smiles.

"Hey, Calliope."

"Hi," I answer shyly. Somehow all the confidence I had during the phone call left me the second I had seen her in front of me.

"Is it okay I parked my car there? I wasn't sure..." she rambles and points her thumb at her car, a silver BMW X5.

Not something I would've necessarily thought was a cheerleader's pick, but I like it anyway. Somehow it does suit her. Personally, I would love to drive in a vintage car someday, preferably with a soft color. White, or a pastel green or blue. I have a thing for cars. Suddenly I realize I must have been staring at her car for more than a few seconds as I see her looking at me with her big blue eyes.

"Uh... Yeah, yeah. It's fine," I stumble. "Come in," I step out of the doorway. "I uh... like your car." As soon as the words leave my mouth, I'm ready to slap the palm of my hand against my face. How more goofy can you sound?

"Thanks," she says grinning. "Is Aria home?"

I can't help but feel a little disappointed. How could I have thought she would only come over to see me? Hopefully she can't read it off my face to easily, I'm too much of an open book sometimes.

"Uhm, yeah. Why?" I try to reply casually.

A blush appears on her cheeks. "Oh.. no reason," she answers and smiles at me.

Obviously she also feeling a little out of her element. I wonder why. Somehow that fact makes me feel a little more at ease and I smile back.

"Let's go upstairs," I gesture to the stairs. Suddenly I wonder if I cleaned my room properly, no pieces of underwear wandering around on the floor or something else which could embarrass me. The last few steps I run up two at the time, mumbling an excuse to Arizona. When I storm in to my room, I see a perfectly clean room. I sigh audibly and turn around, where Arizona is standing in the doorway. I grin sheepishly at her.

"Just wanted to make sure I cleaned up," I say a little embarrassed and she giggles softly.

"Can I come in?" the cheerleader says with a mischievous smile.

"Yep, all clear," I say a little awkwardly and grab a second chair and shove it towards my desk. "Please, sit down," I say politely.

After a few minutes we're both sitting with furrowed eyebrows over her Math book.

"It's so abstract," Arizona sighs and I nod understandingly.

"This subject is kind of related to Physics," I try to explain. "Look, this equation of the fourth degree has to do with space at a certain time. Now, if you take the derivative of that equation, you get a cubic function," I look at her to see if she understands. I see her nod slowly so I continue. "That cubic function stands for the velocity at a certain time. You can also make a derivative of that function. Any idea what you'll get?"

She bites her lip in concentration. "A quadratic function?" she looks up at me with big blue eyes.

"Correct. And that is the second derivative of the first function. So, as the first derivative stands for velocity, do you have any clue what the second derivate will stand for?"

"Hmm.. acceleration?" she tries after a pause.

"Yes, that's it!" I draw out the words space - velocity - acceleration out on a piece of paper. "So, sometimes you will get the function for velocity and they will ask you to make up a function for space and one for acceleration," I point my pencil towards the words as I say them. "So, as we just discussed you can make the one for acceleration up by taking the derivative. However, the one for space is a little more complicated. Any ideas?" I look up from the book to see her looking back at me. For a few seconds she just gazes at me, until she raises her eyebrows as if she just realized I asked her a question.

"Uh, yeah.. the uhm, integral maybe?"

I nod enthusiastically. "Yes, exactly! That's pretty much all what's discussed in this paragraph."

"Thanks, I think I get it now. I guess calculus just isn't my forte," she shrugs. I begin to wonder if she really had trouble with the subject to begin with.

"It's really quite fascinating," the dork in me awakens. I look over to see her eyes glued to me again. Her eyes seem a little darker than usual and her lips are parted a little. I see that her gaze is focused on my lips, which is making me feel a little selfconcious.

"It is..." she says slowly. "...quite fascinating."

All of a sudden she jerks up out of her gaze as if she realizes we are sitting really close to each other now. A blush appears on her skin and she gets up from her chair.

"Is it hot in here or what?" she says waving herself some air with her hand, her eyes shift around the room. "Ready to go for a run?" she asks suddenly, as if nothing just happened.

"Are you sure you get it?" I say gesturing to the books on the desk.

"Yeah, positive," she says throwing me a smile. "Do you still want to go for a run?" she asks while she still keeps waving herself fresh air.

"Absolutely." I nod.

I get up out of my chair as she takes off her sweater, revealing a tight sport top and a tan, flat stomach. I can't help but feeling all sorts of sparks flowing through my body while I try not to gawk at her. She does catch me looking and lifts one corner of her mouth, like she enjoys my obvious physical reaction to her.

My mind is racing, trying to make up an explanation. "I uh...," I stumble. "Isn't that uhm... very cold?"

She starts laughing softly. "We're in Miami, Calliope." A cold shiver runs down my spine.

"Right," I laugh along with her awkwardly. "I still have some... adjusting to do." I have the feeling this is going to be one interesting run, that's for sure. Let's hope I won't make too much of a fool out of myself. My father appears at the bottom of the stairs just as we start to make our way down them. As if my nerves weren't bad enough. I love my father, but he has a way of scaring people.

"Calliope," he says looking at me, then pointing his eyes towards Arizona, observing her closely. She does look a little more discreet than before, it's something in her posture that has changed. She walks down the last few steps, her back straight and her dimples showing.

"Mr. Torres, nice to meet you. I am Arizona Robbins," she extends her arm towards him.

"Aria's friend," he states simply.

"Yes, sir," she quickly glances back at me, giving me a short wink.

"And what were you girls up to doing?" my father redirects his attention back to me.

I swallow and join Arizona at the last step of the stairs. "We were going for a run, you know... build some stamina... for the basketball team," I say casually.

"Will there be boys?" my father looks both Arizona and me in the eye. Now is it my turn to feel very warm and I feel a blush appearing on my cheeks.

"No," I laugh loudly. "Dad," I look him fiercely in the eye. I don't think I could feel any more embarrassed.

"Fine," my father grumbles and starts to climb the stairs, passing us by on his way. As soon as he has turned around the corner, I turn myself around the corner.

"Sorry about that," I comment apologetically.

"It's fine," Arizona touches my arm assuringly. It's like little sparks of electricity flow up and down trough my arm. Just like a fever, I feel both hot and cold at the same time. It's a good feeling. "He just cares," she nods and her hand falls beside her body again. Then she skips towards the door, holding it open for me. "Let's go," she grins.

~-...-~-...-~

About two hours later, after I've taken a shower, I make my way down the stairs again, wearing a big grin on my face. The run was better than good, it was kind of indescribable.

One of the things I've discovered this evening is that cheerleaders have a lot of stamina, which is not what I would have expected, the other thing is that Arizona can make me run, like whoa.

"What are you up to now?" my father interrupts my thoughts, appearing in the hallway.

"Going over to Andy's," I flash him a grin, hoping to soften his stern look a little.

"Have you cleared this with your mother?" Great, another of his famous interrogations.

"I have," I lift my head a little sideways. "Don't worry so much, Daddy. It'll give you wrinkles," I tease him.

"You're becoming more and more like your sister every day, you know that?"

I shrug and walk up to him. "Bye, Daddy." I give him a kiss on the cheek. He grabs hold of my arms as I try to walk away.

"Hold on, _señorita_. How are you going to get there?"

"Tommy is picking me up and he is bringing me home as well." I say matter-of-factly.

"A boy?!" he raises his eyebrows.

"Yes, Daddy." All of a sudden Aria comes rushing into the hall as well.

"What are you talking about?" she looks at me suspiciously.

"A boy is coming to pick your sister up," Daddy grudgingly admits.

"Ugh, just let her get some already," Aria rolls her eyes.

"Aria," my father says warningly.

I can't help but laugh at her comment. "What's so funny? I'm helping you out here," she hisses at me.

"Nothing. It's just... You can see Tommy in a minute if you like," I try to make it sound like it's a good thing. "He's the one picking me up to go to see Andy."

Aria's face switches between happy and angry for a couple of times. Then realization washes over her face. "When is he coming?"

"He could be here any moment," I shrug. At that Aria's eyes widen even more and she runs up to the bathroom to probably check her hair and make-up. As soon as she's upstairs, my father and I burst out laughing. After a little while his face becomes serious again.

"Calliope... you are _not_ going to 'get some' tonight, do you understand?"

"Yes Daddy," I agree.

"Is all of your school work done?"

I sigh audibly. "Yes, Dad."

"Then go have a good time."

**Don't Ask Me Why**

I can't even begin to describe how fun my afternoon with Callie was yesterday. She seemed a little suspicious, but I don't think she actually noticed that I was getting it all along. True, I don't like calculus, but I do understand it... generally. It used to be boring, but now, not so much.

"Arizona! Pay attention, this is the third time today you've been staring at the wall with that grin on your face. Hailey is bound to notice at some point," Aria whispered beside me. A few seconds later she gasps. "You know something juicy! Did something happen? Tell me, who is it?"

"Aria and Arizona, stop chatting. The concentration level today isn't nearly as high as I want it to be. We need to be on top of our game, people," Hailey says.

"Great, now you have gotten me in trouble too," Aria says with a smirk and steps back into her position.

Hailey yells a few directions, and we practice a few moves. I try to keep my act together and focus, but my mind keeps wandering back to the day before, like it has all day long.

Is it truly all in my head? Whenever I'm with her, I feel on top of the world. I've always been a positive and energetic person, but with her I feel undefeatable. Whenever we share a look, I can feel the butterflies in my stomach flying around lightheartedly. Sure, we exchange smiles and share looks, but is there anything behind it on her part? I think I saw some kind of reaction to me yesterday a few times during our run and in her room. It felt good to caught her looking at me, it makes the butterflies emerge even more.

All of a sudden I realize I'm up in the air and my muscles aren't tense. Lesson number one for a flyer: always keep your muscles tense when you're up there. Before I know it, I feel myself falling down to the ground. My reflexes and instinct tell me to keep my head up and luckily the girls release their hands of my legs. I can feel a few hands on my back and thighs, trying to steer and catch me, but their grip is too loose. This is all happening in a matter of seconds and I suddenly hear a loud snap and then excruciating pain in my right foot.

I can't help but let out a loud moan and simultaneously a few girls shriek. Now I also feel the mat pressed against my leg and into my back and instinctively I pull my legs up to my chest. Then I rock myself back and forth with my eyes closed, afraid to look at my foot.

"Give her some air, girls," I hear Hailey say and then feet shuffling around on the mat.

"Arizona, are you okay? Open your eyes," her voice is much closer now. I do as she tells me, and I see her kneeling down beside me, as well as Aria.

"It hurts," I groan.

"Where does it hurt?" Hailey calmly asks, but I see worry reflected in her eyes.

"My foot... the right one," I say, propping myself up on my arms.

Hailey leans over to take a look and I quickly utter "Don't touch it."

Aria grabs my hand. "Calm down, you're going to be fine," she reassures me with a weak smile on her face.

"It looks good on the outside, a little bruised so far. But we're going to take you to the hospital, okay?"

I quietly mumble my agreement as Aria and Hailey help me stand up on my other leg while Aria gives me a few instructions.

"Try to keep your right leg as relaxed as possible, but try to not let it move too much. I know that's hard, but you have to try, okay?" I nod again and breathe a few times in and out.

"Let's get you to a car," Hailey says as she puts my weight on her shoulder. "Practice is over for today, girls."

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**Critique and comments are welcome!**

**V**


	8. Hold On To The World

Times Like These

Disclaimer: _I do not own the characters or anything related to Grey's Anatomy. That's courtesy of Shonda Rimes and ABC. This fiction is not meant to make money or to be harmful in any way. It's just pure for amusement._

**_Author's Note: _**_Because the last update took so long, here is a fairly quick update for you all. I hope you enjoy it! I've forgotten to thank lizadizzle over at the C_A community for beta'ing for a while, so here's a big thank you. THANKS! :D_

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**Chapter 8 - Hold On To The World**

The past two hours felt like forever. When we first arrived at the hospital, we were sent to the emergency room. Three doctors later, we were headed for Orthopedics. Next up was an x-ray of my foot. About half an hour later some doctor called Livingstone diagnosed me with a double break. Fortunately, no damage to the muscles and tendons. Then they gave me a cast, and I can tell you, that hurts. Even more than the fall itself at the gym earlier that day.

"So, how is your pain now?" Dr. Livingstone asks me as he grabs a chair.

"It's okay, I guess..." I reply as he sits down.

He takes the chart off the bed and his pen out of his lab coat. "On a scale from 1 to 10?" he asks without looking at me.

"A four, maybe a five," I say after a few seconds.

"Are you sure you don't want any pain killers?" Hailey asks me, raising her eyebrows.

"Positive," I nod and give her a weak smile.

"I'm still going to prescribe you some in case you change your mind," the elderly doctor tells me. He raises out of his chair and grabs a pair crutches out of the corner of the room. " I want you to use these the upcoming few weeks. Don't move around without them, or you might get stuck with that cast longer than planned, okay? Well, make an appointment for over fourteen days, then I'll check up on you and we might have to change to a lighter type of cast."

Aria enters the room as dr. Livingstone shakes my hand. "Ms. Robbins, don't put any pressure on it, so no driving, walking or cheering for that matter," he sums up and turns around to face as well Aria as Hailey. "Make sure she gets those meds and help her a little with her crutches. Now you girls get out of here," he comments with a short laugh and he leaves the room.

"I called Mick and he wanted to come right away, but I told him to finish the basketball practise like you told me to. He will be picking you up at my house in an hour or two," Aria mentions as she walks over to me.

"Thanks for calling," I say as I try to get off the hospital bed.

"Here, let me help," Hailey probes and offers her arm. With a little difficulty I stand on my #uncasted# leg a moment later, supported by the two crutches. The cast feels heavy as I try to lift my right leg to move forward.

"This is going to be interesting the next few weeks," I say laughing as I slowly make my way over to the door.

"I can get you a wheelchair?" Hailey proposes.

"No, it's fine," I decline her offer. "I've got to practise, right?" I smirk at her. "But thanks for being here and helping out."

"Of course. If there is anything else I can do, like give you a ride to school or something, just give me a call, okay? I wish I could have prevented this from happening, I knew the girls weren't focused that much," she murmurs the last sentence.

"Oh no," I say quickly with a red color on my cheeks. "This was all my fault. My thoughts were in a completely different place."

In the mean time we made it to Aria's car.

"Do you want me to bring you to school or drop you off at your house?" she asks Hailey as she helps me get into the car.

"School is fine, thanks. I still need to clean up a few things," she replies and shuts the door.

Thirty minutes later I'm sitting on Aria's couch, my foot still throbbing with pain. I decide to ignore it and put a smile on my face.

"Here you go," Aria hands me a glass of water. "Do you like anything to eat?"

"Do you have any fruit?" I ask and look over to the kitchen.

"Let me see," Aria mumbles as she puts down her own drink. "Would you like an apple?" she asks when she's back in the kitchen.

"Very much, thank you."

A few seconds later she drops down beside me on the couch and hands me the apple as well.

"Are you comfortable? The doc said to keep your foot up, so please use the coffee table," she gestures to the table before us.

"Wouldn't your parents mind?" I carefully ask.

"No... they're not the ones cleaning it anyway," my friend shrugs and grabs the remote from the table.

As I carefully put my foot on the coffee table she switches through a few TV channels, in the end deciding on MTV.

"Gotta tell you, this thing is heavy," I point towards my cast.

"I guess it's a good thing we have some leg muscle, huh?" Aria jokes. "On a serious note: where did your mind go all afternoon? Or rather all day... you tend to have this look on your face." I can feel myself blushing again. "Is it a boy? Oh, you're blushing!" she shrieks. "It SO is a boy!"

"It's not a boy," I tell her truthfully. I know I suck at lying, so I'm glad that can be avoided.

Her nose scrunches up in disappointment. "Really?"

"Really," I reply and look at the TV screen for a moment.

"Then what is it?" she looks at me with big brown eyes.

"Er... I don't know," I shrug, trying to come up with a possible answer. To create a little more time, I take a bit out of my apple and chew on it for a bit. "School, maybe. You know, the future. That kind of stuff. The perils of a senior," I joke.

"Right," she smiles back at me, not entirely convinced. "Is it okay that I'm going to take a shower for a sec? Mick won't be here for another hour and to be honest, I kinda stink," she scrunches up her nose again. "Hailey had us working hard... Anyway, if you need anything, just holler. Hard," she remarks and stands up. "My parents won't be home for a good while anyway. Oh, and feel free to change the channel," she tosses me the remote.

"Okay," I say smiling and look at her as she walks out of the room. "Thanks for everything," I yell after her.

"No probs," I hear her reply from a distance. I switch between channels for a while until I come across Animal Planet and leave it at that. A little while later I hear the front door opening and my heart skips a beat in the prospect of the gorgeous brunette. Aria said her parents wouldn't be home until tonight and there is only one other person left in the household with a key. Unless there is some kind of butler that I don't know about. That actually sounds quite possible, come to think of it. What a silly physical reaction, I think smiling to myself. When she in fact does come into the room, my body responds the same way again.

"Calliope," I greet her brightly, my eyes leaving the screen permanently.

Her eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "Arizona?" she asks while she drops her bags into a chair. "Where's er... Aria?"

"Shower," I nod and take a bite out of my apple to give me something to do other than just stare at her. If no one would stop me, I could look at her all day long. Those gorgeous eyes, her beautiful lips, her caramel skin. Everything about her enchants me.

I can see her eyes wandering to my foot propped up on the table and her pupils grow even wider.

"What happened?" I hear her voice quiver a little as she rushes over to my side. Is that worry I hear reflected in her voice?

"I'm fine," I reassure her before I answer her question. "I fell down during practise and broke my foot," I smile at her a little sheepishly.

"You did what?" Her face can be so easy to read sometimes but now there are too many mixed emotions portrayed that I don't exactly know what is going on.

"Yeah," I look at my casted foot for a brief moment. I realize the minute I heard the door open the pain faded. It is still there, but my mind is too preoccupied by the other feelings to really notice it.

Her face softens up a little as she looks me in the eye. "Are you okay?"

"I am now," I reply a little flirtatious and bat my eyelashes at her. Maybe a little over the top, but I can't help it. Callie's jaw drops a little and her lips curl into a smile. For a moment we just look at each other like that, keeping the energy between us. Slowly her face turns a darker color and I can't help but to grin at that.

"How did you fell?" she asks, snapping out of the moment.

Now it is up to me to turn red and I avoid her gaze. "I er... wasn't paying attention. So what's new with you?" I try to change the subject.

Luckily, she takes the bait.

"Well, I just had basketball practise, so sorry for my look," she emphasizes the last word jokingly and gestures to her head, but I can see insecurity reflected in her eyes. Her hair is tied in ponytail, a few loose hairs plastered to hair face. Her cheeks are a still a little red, but I don't know if that's from the practise or our moment earlier.

"You look great," I tell her, flashing her a smile. I really mean it too.

"Thanks," she says shyly before continuing her story. "Your brother was one of the coaches today, actually."

Whenever someone mentions Mickey I can't help but smile. "Yeah, he loves to coach. He actually coached me and Kenny, my younger brother a couple of times."

"In basketball?" she asks fidgeting on her sweater.

I nod enthusiastically and take the last bite out of my apple.

"So you can play," she states with a smile on her face.

"I bet I could beat your ass is it wasn't for this thing," I can't help but tease her and I throw her a mischievous look.

At that, she laughs. "We'll see. You and me, after your foot has healed. It's a done deal," she winks at me and makes me blush even more.

We sit in silence for a while and I realize I'm enjoying her company very much. We watch the Animal Planet together but it doesn't get a hold of my attention much. When I look over at her after a couple of minutes, her face is full of concern. When she caughts me looking at her, she tries to neutral her face again.

"What's wrong?" I ask her anyway.

She hesitates or a moment and looks into the hall to see if Aria is coming yet. "There is this thing... which I can't discuss with either Andy or Aria," she begins telling and a knot begins to form in my stomach. I don't know if this is a good thing. Unintentional I furrow my eyebrows in concern too.

"You can tell me. Anything," I look her in the eye, hoping that she'll trust me.

"Tommy keeps making these comments at me," she blurts out. "You know, suggestive kind of comments," she looks down at the floor, a little embarrassed. "He is Andy's brother and Aria's crush and I seriously don't know what to do. I know he's a player kind of guy but I also know he likes me sister, and I honestly don't want her to get hurt, you know," she looks into the hallway again. "I told him to stop, but he's not really listening," she looks at me a little desperately and I feel for her. "It's just bothering me and really uncomfortable."

I love that she is opening up to me but I hate that she feels so miserable. Now doesn't only my foot ache, but my hearts aches a little too.

"Oh Calliope," I softly utter.

She looks at me and I see her trouble reflected in her eyes. "I mean... Is it stupid? Am I overreacting? Do I see things which aren't there?"

I shake my head and think of something to calm her down. Instinctively I shove over to her on the couch, my foot almost knocking over a glass on the coffee table. "It's okay, it's okay," I say soothingly as I fold my arms around her. At first I feel her tense up a little, but a few seconds later she relaxes into my arms. We just sit there for a moment, embracing each other until a familiar voice startles us.

"Calliope? What is going on?" I look up and see Aria staring at us from the doorway. I let Calliope go out of my arms and sit back, looking back and forth between the two sisters. Aria looks a little suspicious but for the greater part mad. I can't really tell what Callie is thinking, as she stares towards the ground, avoiding her sister's gaze. It looks like it's up to me to answer.

"Uhm, nothing," I shrug. "Calliope was having a bad day, that's all," I make up.

Aria walks towards us and a waterfall of words come out of her mouth. Great. Spanish. What a wonderful way of shutting me out.

"_¿Eso es la verdad? No trate de robar mis amigos. Usted sabe mejor que eso. ¡Fuera!_"

"_No es asunto tuyo_," the younger sister replies with her hands raised. Aria looks her into the eye, her lips pursed. Calliope sighs, stands up and walks over to the chair to grab her stuff. "Bye Arizona," she says looking at me but avoiding her sister. "Thanks for uhm... you know. I'll talk to you later," she says and while she utters the last words she looks Aria in the eye. Then she walks out of the room and a moment later I hear her walking up the stairs.

"What was that all about?" I say a little angrily at Aria. I know she has been a great friend so far and she has been wonderful helping me out, but that fight was completely useless.

"Sister stuff," she shrugs and sits down beside me, where Callie sat a little earlier.

"No, it wasn't. It was... nonsense," I reply with the absence of a better word. "It's not fair that you shut me out like that, using another language to communicate," I try to keep myself calm.

Aria stares at the wall for a minute before she lets out a sigh. "I know.... I'm sorry," she says looking me in the eye and I immediately see it's a genuine apology. "What's the deal with you and my sister anyway?" she asks raising one eyebrow.

I shift around a little in my seat before answering her question. "There is no 'deal'. She's just really nice and fun to be around," I mention with a smile plastered on my face. And also insanely cute, I add to the list in my mind. "I'm surprised you don't get along very well."

My friend shrugs and I swear I can see a little regret before she turns her head away.

"Whatever," she mumbles. For a few minutes we sit together in silence, watching the flickering screen in front of us play different clips. "I'm really sorry about before. I shouldn't have treated you like that," she says softly after a while.

"It's okay. Seriously, I'm very grateful you have taken such good care of me today and frankly any other day so far. You are an amazing friend. You just might want to consider being even a greater sister," I carefully suggest and touch her shoulder comfortingly.

The latina smiles at me. "I'll consider that."

--..--..--..--

No longer than an hour later I'm sitting in Mick's car, the world around us slowly passing by and the radio playing softly on the background.

"So," Mickey comments with a smirk on his face. "Did you have a chance to speak with New Girl #2 in there?"

I raise my eyebrows and look at him. "Who?"

"That chick you have the hots for," he replies and his grin grows wider. I shake my head for a few seconds. I know there is no use in denying with my older brother around. He knows me better than anyone else.

"Still... New Girl #2?" I repeat sarcastically.

"Yeah. Your cheerleader friend is New Girl #1 and her little sister is #2," he states simply.

"Please tell me you don't call her that on the team," I drop my head to my chest, once again shaking it from my left to my right and reversed.

"Ha," he laughs. "So you did talk to her!"

"Yes," I reply casually, staring out of the window.

"And?" I can feel his eyes on me, but I keep staring at the passing houses.

"And what?" I pray to God he at least glances at the road a few times while staring.

"Spill the beans, Ari!"

"Fine. I'll tell you, but you have to keep your eyes on the road," I give in.

From he corner of my eye I see him focus on the road again as a sign of agreement.

"I really do like her, I think," I confide in him with a small sigh. "I mean... I can't stop thinking about her. Literally. It actually is the reason I fell down during practise earlier today; I wasn't paying attention at all," I hear my brother chuckle at that. "It isn't funny!" I playfully punch him against his arm. "Why does this happen to me, Mickey?" I moan with my hands raised in the air.

"It's not a bad thing, Ari. You're in love, that's all," he says and pats me on the shoulder.

"Eyes on the road!" I quickly warn him.

"Yeah, yeah. Like I ever would do anything to you what could harm you," he says reassuringly, his eyes glued to the road. "You do that fine by yourself," he adds with a chuckle.

I stick out my tongue and neither of us says anything for a few minutes.

"Did you ever feel like this?" I ask him as we turn into our street. "That feeling, that when you're with her, everything is going to be okay? That you physically miss her when she isn't around you?"

"I had that with Michelle," he lets out a little sigh.

I nod and immediately regret bringing it up. Up to last year, Michelle lived in this street. Mick had a crush on her for years and finally they got together two years ago. I thought it would be hard for me to share my best friend, but it was surprisingly easy. Other than my parents, I haven't seen two people that care so deeply for each other than my brother and Michelle. Unfortunately, her mother got a job offered at Harvard and they all had to move. They kept seeing each other for another month or two but it tare Mickey apart, not seeing her. He was even more devastated when she broke up with him, although I was the only one who knew his true feelings.

"Just don't be afraid to love who you love. No matter what others and in particular colonel Robbins might think," he utters and I hear the regret in his voice. "If there is the tiniest chance she likes you back, go for it."

I immediately think of the glances she threw me yesterday and the blush on her cheeks when I come near her.

"And I also gotta say, she ain't looking too shabby," he carefully mentions as he parks the car in front of our house with another grin on his face.

I know he's teasing me but I can't help but punch him again."Shut up," I say with a smile.

"Ahw, look at the crippled cheerleader punching her loving brother," he says and quickly gets out of the car, missing out on another punch.

Half a minute later he opens my door, the crutches in his other hand. As he helps me get out of the car a song I used to sing in my childhood a lot comes to mind again. When we make our way over to our front door I begin to chant the lyrics.

"_Oh Mickey you're so fine, you blow my mind, hey Mickey... Hey Mickey!" _

He starts laughing and as he opens the door he whispers something in my ear. "Just substitute my name with Callie's and you'll win her over in no time."

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**I loved the response I got on last chapter. I'd love even a bit more! ;-)  
**

**V  
**


	9. Leave Me Alone I'm Lonely

Times Like These 

Disclaimer: _I do not own the characters or anything related to Grey's Anatomy. That's courtesy of Shonda Rimes and ABC. This fiction is not meant to make money or to be harmful in any way. It's just pure for amusement._

**_Author's Note: _**_So, this chapter is a little shorter than the previous two, but I hope you like it. Arizona might be a little OOC, but I hope not... we all have one of those days once in a while, right? Thanks to lizadizzle over at the LJ C_A community for beta'ing._

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**  
Chapter 9 - Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)**

I can't believe it's been over two weeks since I've properly talked to Arizona. You might think my feelings would have subdued in that period of time, but it's on the contrary. I didn't know it was possible but my feelings towards her grew stronger. In the past fifteen days I haven't seen her around much, only twice to be exact on school property. She hasn't been around at our house either because Aria has been busy with cheering lately. I didn't get to talk to her both times, which left me with mixed feelings. True, I got to see her that day but I couldn't get closer than at least ten feet. I don't know what is worse, not seeing her at all or being held at a distance, only capable of seeing her laugh but not hearing it.

The first time I saw her was during practice about ten days ago. She entered the gym about ten minutes before we finished playing and I swear I felt her eyes on me the entire time. The urge to impress her took over me, so I physically concentrated on the game but in the mean time I was thinking about her. We won the game that day, mainly due to the last shots, a few of them made by me. Every time I threw one in, I looked over at her and I saw her smiling back. Strangely, Coach Mick who was coaching us was also looking at her. Did her brother maybe know something? When the game was over and I exited the locker room she was already gone, along with her brother.

The second time around was a much shorter period of time. It was in the cafeteria, and I was sitting at the table with Andy and a few girls I met at the team when she came in. She spotted me within a few seconds and she threw me one of her dimpled smiles. Unfortunately Aria got a hold of her attention and Andy on my side nudged me with a question.

That was three days ago. The only highlights of the past weeks were the extra basketball trainings to prepare for the upcoming tournament. I sigh as I drop my bag onto our regular table. Lucy, Andy and some other were already there, sipping their drinks or eating lunch. Rummaging through my bag I listen to their conversation about a certain teacher I haven't met yet.

"He is so unreasonable!" Lucy says angrily.

"What happened?" I ask sitting down.

"I told him about the extra practices we had this week but he didn't want to postpone the paper for tomorrow, while a few cheerleaders do have permission to hand it in next week. It is so unfair," she says chewing on a sandwich. "I mean, they don't even have to work that hard," she huffs. I honestly don't know how to respond to that so I stay silent for a moment. "Right?" she asks me, her green eyes almost piercing through me.

"I don't know, but he does sound prejudiced," I shrugging. I look one more time in my bag to find nothing to eat. "Crap, I forgot to pack lunch, so I'm going to grab something. Be right back," I say getting up and I put a few dollar bills out of my bag into my pocket. As I walk over to the other side of the cafeteria, I suddenly spot Arizona at the food counter as well. As she tries to support herself on one crutch, she holds the other one in her left hand and grabs a salad with her right hand. There are few people at the counter as well and none of them try to help her.

"Hey stranger," I say walking up to her. I see her jump a little and the other crutch drops out of her left hand. A few heads around us turn around with an agitated look on their face. I quickly kneel to grab the crutch and as I get up again she has turned around.

"Calliope," she says with a nervous look on her face.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," I hand her the crutch.

"You didn't," she says stumbling over her words. "I'm just a little, uhm... clumsy."

I nod and look around her. "Where are your little helpers?" I say referring to the people who had been glued to her side for the past weeks.

"Lockers," she says shrugging. "I decided to go ahead, look how well that turned out," she says pouting a little. I can still see a glint in her eyes so I know she's not actually upset.

"You need a hand?"

"Yes, thank you," she nods and shoves over her tray with her elbow. "I'm sorry we haven't been able to hang out for so long," she mentions as I put two sandwiches for myself on the tray as well. "I'm so dependable on people to drive me places, I'm pretty much stuck at home."

"That sucks," I agree with her. "How is your foot doing?"

"It doesn't hurt that much anymore, so that's good. Oh, and I got a lighter cast yesterday," she says smiling.

"Great," I reply as we arrive at the cash register. I see her trying to get money out of her pocket, but I briefly touch her arm. A hint of electricity sparks through my fingers again. So that hasn't changed either, I think to myself.

"No, let me get this," I give the woman behind the desk the right amount of money.

"Oh, that's not-" Arizona starts to object but I cut her off.

"Seriously, it's my pleasure," I try to convince her.

Her lips curl into a smile and she gives in. "Okay then. Thanks... I really hate not being able to run with you anymore," she blurts out.

"Me too," I reply immediately and I can restrain myself from saying that I miss her. Her smile turns into a grin but after she sees something behind me, her smile falls.

"Callie," I hear Lucy calling my name. "Are you coming?" she asks appearing on my right side.

"In a minute," I try to blow her off. Lucy's nice and all, but I'd rather spend some more time with the cheerleader in front of me. As if there is some kind of conspiracy I see my sister coming up behind her.

"Ari," she says with a little chant. "What's up?"

"We were just leaving," Lucy says and pulls me away.

"I-" I try to say but Aria takes the salad off my tray and interrupts me.

"I've got it from here, Callie. Go sit with your friends," she manages to say something supposedly nice in a dominating way. I look at the blonde who looks a little dumbfounded as well.

"Uhm, bye," I manage to utter as Lucy drags me towards our table.

"What did you just do?" I say dropping onto my chair.

"What were you doing?" the redhead replies without answering my question.

"Uhm.. talking to Arizona?" I say pointing out the obvious.

"You can't hang out with a cheerleader," Lucy says taking another bite of her sandwich.

"Why not?" I feel confused. "My sister is one..."

"But you don't hang out with her, right? Not in public anyway," Lucy raises her shoulders. I look for support at Andy next to me.

"It's kinda true, Callie," she says nodding. "Female athletes don't hang out with cheerleaders. It's like an unwritten rule or something."

"What a stupid rule," I say looking over to the corner of the cheerleader. It seems like Aria and Arizona are in some sort of discussion as well.

"Stop looking," Lucy hisses at me and I raise one eyebrow at me.

"She can do whatever she wants," Andy replies at me and gives a quick pat at the back. "At least we've warned her," she says as I take a bite out of my sandwich.

"Fine," Lucy says with a shrug. "Just know that it's frowned upon." I know she's only looking out for me and maybe for the reputation of the team but I simply don't care. I wonder what they will have to think about me crushing on a cheerleader...

--..--..--..--

"Please tell me we're not getting into this again," I beg Aria as I move my weight from my left leg onto my crutches.

"I wasn't going to, but then you pull a stunt like that!" Aria says indignant and raises her shoulders.

"What 'stunt'?" I ask, trying to keep my voice down.

"It's bad enough that you talk to my sister at home, but do you really have to in front of the entire school?"

"What is your problem with Callie anyway?" I ask moving closer to a near wall. There is no need for other people to listen in on this discussion. "She is nice, and funny, and beautiful," I sum up, not caring how that might've sound or what she might think.

Aria looks at me a little surprised before retorting a reply. "She is an athlete. Since when do you hang out with athletes?"

"Since when don't we? We hang out with athletes all the time. Mickey, and hello, Tommy? Why should this be any different?"

"Because they are guys, Arizona. That's the difference. Besides... they are prep's, like us. Callie however," I can see her look over to her sister. "... is not."

"Ugh," I roll my eyes. "Screw labels. I've always been nice to people, no matter what they do or how they look like. And I am not going to change that because others disagree or think that is stupid. And frankly, it's none of your business what I do or don't do." To avoid any more of a scene, I head for the exit, leaving Aria behind me. I would've stormed out of here if it wasn't for this stupid cast. Sometimes, not very often, people and their stupid biases just enrage me. I can see people turning their heads as I pass them by, but I don't care. Not today.

When I try to open my locker, one of my crutches falls from under my shoulder again from what feels like the hundredth time this month.

"Damn it," I cry out in frustration. Just when you think I might have had enough confrontation for one day, Tommy walks up to me.

"Feeling a little angry, do we?" he says flashing a grin at me and handing over the fallen crutch.

"Shut up," I say forgetting my manners.

"What's going on, sweetie pie?" he places a toothpick in his mouth.

"Don't call me that," I say pointing a finger at him. "And you know what, don't call Calliope that either. Stop being such a jerk towards Aria and leave her sister the hell alone!"

"Fine," Tommy says shrugging. "But what does it matter to you? It's not like she's your girlfriend or something." I quickly shut my locker door and avoid his gaze. Luckily my cheeks are still warm from the heated discussion and being so agitated that he can't see the blush creeping on there as well.

"Or is she?" I can her his teasing tone and as I glare at him I see the same grin on his face.

"You would like that, a little girl-on-girl action, don't you?' I say sarcastically, not admitting that I would like to see that happen too.

"Hey," he says raising his hands in defense. "If let's say you and Aria got together sometime, be sure to give me a call."

"Asshole," I scoff at him and walk away.

"Okay, no time for jokes then," I hear him call after me and I know he didn't mean it the bad way just then. I can't help but to feel frustrated. I haven't seen Callie in two weeks and now that I had the chance to talk to her again, it was only for a mere few minutes before that girl Lucy and Aria interrupted us. I didn't even have the chance to invite her over to my place, if I actually had the guts to do so.

I sigh as I sit down at some steps. It's almost as if the latina is the forbidden fruit I can't touch or... taste. And now that I know people like Aria don't approve, it's like I want her even more.

"Bad day, huh?" I jump at the sound of Mickey's voice. "I've seen that tortured look on your face more and more the past few weeks," he mentions as he sits down beside me. I lay down my head on his shoulder as he takes me into his big, strong arms. "I know you miss her," he whispers into my ear before he places a kiss on my hair. I nod and I feel myself relax into his arms."Why don't you just call in sick for the rest of the day?"

"No," I say shaking my head. "I don't want to bother Mom and you've got class. Besides, I probably better make an apology to Aria and Tommy."

"That's the Arizona I know," Mickey smirks. "Never misses a class and can't stand unresolved fights."

"That's all because of you though," I say patting him on his knee. "What would I do without you?"

We both remain silent for a moment, both thinking of the odd prospect of next year. After graduation I'm planning on going to med school and Mickey is following Dad's footsteps to join the US Army. I can't believe I'm not going to have my brother by my side anymore every day.

"You know I'm going to call you and mail you as much as possible, right?" he quickly says rubbing my back.

"I know," I reply and flash my dimples at him. There is no time to waste on being angry, insecure or sad, I start to realize. I have to live my life to the fullest.

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**Thanks for reading, I would love to know what you think!**

**V**


	10. Tell Her About It

Times Like These

Disclaimer: _I do not own the characters or anything related to Grey's Anatomy. That's courtesy of Shonda Rimes and ABC. This fiction is not meant to make money or to be harmful in any way. It's just pure for amusement._

**Author's Note**: First of all, thank you so much for the reviews on last chapter! :) I know not everyone was very pleased, therefore I hope you like this one better. I hope to hit the 100 reviews with this chapter! Enjoy.

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**Chapter 10 - Tell Her About It**

Another two days had passed since the cafeteria incident. When I walked into the gym, my knee held up and the crutches supporting my weight, Calliope must have been training for over three hours already. The first game of the upcoming tournament is in ten days. Though I've heard the team is prepared, they want to be the best. Every Wednesday afternoon is sports related at Miami High and today, the gym is basketball only. The first two hours of the afternoon the junior team made the gym inaccessible, working on passing techniques, stamina exercise and blocking. Because of the upcoming game, there is extra practice scheduled for the varsity team this week. Therefore, when the junior training ended, there was fifteen minutes until the next practice, which could take up all afternoon. I had hoped to talk to Calliope in the short intermission, but due to a meeting of the students activity committee I ran late and the varsity training had already started.

I decided to watch the training instead, I had to wait for Mickey anyway. So here I am, sitting on the bleachers once again, observing Callie. They are working on some shooting as a warm up exercise. When she makes her last jump shot out of five in a row, one of the coaches whistles and she returns to the other girls. She notices me and I flash her a smile, she quickly waves at me before returning her attention to Mick, who is giving the team instructions.

"I see some great shots here and there, but all of you need to try to jump higher. Trust me, it'll be easier to throw the ball in. So, I suggest you work on that at home the upcoming few days. I want to see improvement Friday, all right? Also try to do about forty to fifty squats a day to work those quadriceps," I hear him shout, gesturing to the upper part of his legs. "Now, next exercise. Lay ups," he continues to instruct the team for another minute while my eyes are set on the Latina. She must be so tired right now, working out for nearly three hours and who knows how many more. She truly is a great athlete, I think to myself. It's special to be so persistent about something. It doesn't surprise me though. Callie really is something special.

A few minutes later I see the girls teaming up in pairs of two. Calliope pairs with Lucy and I can't help but still feel a little grudge against her for the other day. Whenever I came across the redhead the past two days it also seemed as if she gave me some kind of evil eye. I try to keep my mind off Lucy but it still bothers me seeing her together with Callie.

During the next couple of hours, my mind registers every handshake, high five and pat on the back between the two. Is it just me or are they touching each other more than necessary? No. This must all be in my mind. I'm slowly becoming crazy. Ugh, what does that girl do to me?

A loud whistle interrupts my thoughts and when I focus my attention on the group I see them heading for the exit, except for Callie who is talking to my brother. She has her hands placed on her upper legs, leaning over a little. Mick pats her on the back and I see her returning his smile, looking up to him. Grabbing my crutches I try to get off the bleachers and head towards them. As I make my way over there, I see them talking to each other and as I come closer I can hear Callie still panting a little between her words.

Hot.

"There she is," Mickey says as I join them. "We were just talking about you."

"You were?" I raise my eyebrows before smiling shyly at Callie.

Mickey nods. "Yeah, I was asking Callie here if she would like to tutor you again, as you're having so much trouble with your Math homework the past few days," he says with a stern look before giving me a quick wink.

"Oh," I reply a little stunned and I can feel my cheeks burning up. "Right. Math."

"So, are you free this afternoon?" Mickey asks the Latina.

I feel like kicking him in the shins right now for trying to play matchmaker.

"I'm sure you must be exhausted," I cut in before she can utter a word. I don't know why I said that, I would love for her to come over.

Luckily, she shrugs and raises her hands. "It's okay. If you need any help...?"

I'm sure my face is beet-red right now but I don't care and nod quickly.

"That's settled then," Mick says and rubs his hands together. "I'll give you girls a ride home. Or is there someone who is picking you up?" he returns his attention back to the Latina.

"Uhm, Aria was going to pick me up later but I'll text her to come to your place in a few hours, if that's okay?"

Mickey and I both nod simultaneously and at that moment I begin to feel a little worried. Our house isn't nearly as big as Callie's. What will she think? Oh my God. What if my father is home?

"Oh, I really would like to take a shower first. Is that okay too?"

Mick puts an arm around my shoulders and flashes her a big smile. "Sure. We'll be right here waiting." Callie smiles at me a little nervously before running towards the locker room. When she is out of sight, I softly punch Mickey in his side.

"What was that for?!" he cries out a little offended.

"What did you just do? Who are you, Cupid?" I say with my mouth open. At my last comment his starts to laugh.

"Hey, I got her to our place. You'll thank me later," he says with a wink. "Besides, I saw you back there. Your eyes were all over her. I didn't want to look at that sulky face any longer when we got home."

"Fine," I let out a little sigh. He has a point that I don't get to be angry with him. In half an hour, I get to sit next to that gorgeous girl again. At that thought a smile spreads across my face.

* * *

I wish I had taken a Statistics course instead of Calculus. True, with Calculus I can have Callie fake tutor for me, but she could have done that in Chem or Biology or whatever too. But if I would have taken Statistics maybe I could have figured out by now if it's a good idea to tell her or not, or at what timing.

Does timing matter, really? You're into someone, or you're not. Right? Or isn't it that simple?

Maybe I should just tell her. Take a risk. Give it a chance. Live life to the fullest. Worst case scenario is that she doesn't like me back, which is very likely. I mean, what are the odds... again with the Statistics. But Calliope doesn't come across as a person who would react in a bad way. She's too much of a nice person to do that, I'm positive. Besides, we might even still be friends. Worst case scenario, this all is.

I should just tell her.

Right?

"Arizona?" Calliope suddenly questions me. "Are you paying any attention, at all?"

"No," I say shaking my head. Her facial expression changes from confused to surprised, her brown eyes still full of wonder. "There is something I need to tell you," I begin, my heart pounding in my chest. "I'm not sure if I should, but I am going to anyway," I start to ramble.

Though I am terrified of her response, I look her right in the eye. I have to know.

"Whenever I'm with you, you make me feel like I've never felt before. My skin radiates, I feel light inside. But it's a good feeling, you know? The world seems sharper, brighter, whenever you step in the room. I know how that sounds," I say with a little sigh. "But it's true. You turn my world upside down." I'm beginning to feel a little insecure. Her facial expression has not changed at all in the past minute, her eyes unreadable. Am I doing this the right way? I hate this feeling, not knowing what's going on with her. I decide to continue my story, unsure what to say next. I wish she'd just say something, respond, like she at least heard me.

"Maybe it's all in my head, maybe I'm crazy. But whenever I'm close to you, your eyes darken. Whenever I touch you, your pupils dilate even more. Your breathing shallows," I say as I move a little closer. "and adjusts to mine," I hear her hold her breath as she notices we are in fact breathing simultaneously. "And no matter where I am or what I'm doing, whenever I feel your eyes on me I get that feeling..." I've concentrated so much on our breathing that I didn't notice how close we are sitting right now. Did I subconsciously shoved over this much? As I close my eyes for a moment, I can feel my skin heat up a little more as I feel her breath against my skin. When I open my eyes again, she is only a few inches away. I hear my breathing hitch as I realize she is leaning in even more. A second later her lips graze mine softly, a sparkle appearing in her eyes.

Instinctively I lean in and kiss her back, our lips meeting longer now. Her hand caresses my cheek for a brief moment and my own hand grazes her knee. The extra contact makes me longing for more and I guess she feels the same way as she deepens the kiss.

As we pull apart for some air, I can't help but look a little dumbfounded at her. I had hoped, but I never thought I would get this response.

"It's not all in your head," she whispers and smirks at me, putting a lock of golden hair behind my ear. The only thing my body feels capable of doing is to smile back and I lean in again, my hand moving up her leg a little and I place my other hand at the back of her neck.

Ten minutes later I'm practically sitting on her lap when she suddenly pulls away and looks concerned at me.

"What's wrong?" I ask her, afraid that she's not okay with this after all.

"You never had trouble with Math in the first place, did you?" she raises an eyebrow.

At that, I start to giggle. "No," I reply, trying to look as innocent as possible. "You did make Math a whole lot less boring though," I say and grin at her.

She scrunches up her nose but then smiles at me. "Well... I'm glad I could entertain you though," she says before kissing me softly on the lips again. A few seconds later there is a rapid knocking on my door and immediately I jump from her lap, forgetting the cast on my foot and therefore I lose my balance and fall onto the floor.

"Oh my God," I hear Callie mumble and when I open my eyes I see kneeled down beside me and Mickey standing beside her.

"Ouch," I grumble, my hand touching my hip. "That's going to be a bruise tomorrow."

"How did you get on the floor?" Mickey asks concerned.

"I, err... tried to get up and then I fell," I say raising my shoulders. As I see them both looking at me with raised eyebrows I flash them a grin. "I'm fine, really. If someone could help me get up?"

A second later I feel Callie's arms around me and when she pulls me up I can smell her shampoo for a brief moment. Hmm, vanilla.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but Aria is at the door waiting for you," Mickey ruins the moment and I realize she is still holding me tight. It's like she also realizes it just now and she lets go of me, but holds on to my hand behind my back. She looks at me and I can see that she doesn't want to go.

Squeezing her hand softly I give her a nod. "I'll call you soon." At that, a smile returns on her face and she lets go of my hand as well.

"Thank you," she simply states and I see her eyes sparkle. Then she directs her attention to my brother. "Thanks for the training today and for the ride," she says with a nod. "I'll find my way out," she says walking over to my bedroom door. "Bye," she says to both of us before disappearing out of the doorway.

I let out a little sigh and smile as Mickey helps me get over to my bed to sit down. As we hear the front door closing he looks me in the eye.

"So? What was that right now? Did something happen?"

I can't help but grin at his questions and I let myself fall down on my bed. "We kissed," I try to sound nonchalant.

"No way!" he says poking me in the side, causing me to laugh uncontrollably. "Score!" I'm not sure if I can remember any other time in my life that I've felt so happy. I'm sure I'll sleep better tonight than I have ever slept before as well. Yes, Calliope Torres, you turn my world upside down.

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**Comments are very welcome!**

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	11. No Sleep Tonight

Times Like These

Disclaimer: _I do not own the characters or anything related to Grey's Anatomy. That's courtesy of Shonda Rimes and ABC. This fiction is not meant to make money or to be harmful in any way. It's just pure for amusement._

**Author's Note**: Thanks everyone for commenting on last chapter. I know it's been a long while since I updated, due to a huge writer's block. If you want to be kept updated on my writing process, you could follow me on twitter (I regurlarly post about what I'm writing, when I am updating etc) - my name there is addictt24. Look me up! ;-) Have a good time reading, I hope you enjoy it (it's quite a lot of dialogue).

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**Chapter 11 - No Sleep Tonight**

Arizona had kept her promise. Wednesday evening she had called and we talked for hours. We told each other about our childhoods- the embarrassing combined with the fun memories, about our hopes and dreams and the future. There is this connection between us that makes me want to share my stories and listen to hers in great detail. There isn't a thing I don't want to know about her.

Then the next day came and due to practice and family duties we weren't able to see each other or talk to each other at all. So, during lunch break today we couldn't keep our eyes off each other. Luckily neither Lucy or Andy nor Aria noticed this time. They seemed not to notice me leaving ten minutes early when she gestured me to follow her into some sort of supply closet.

"Hey," I whisper as I close the door behind me. Slowly she takes my hands into her own and pulls me closer.

"Why are you whispering?" she says, a smile tugging at her lips. Giggling at her comment, I link my fingers around hers.

"I don't know," I reply, still whispering. "So how are you?" I ask pulling her a little closer.

"Great. Perfect," she grins a little with the last word and kisses me softly on the lips. "How have you been?"

"Mmm," I murmur before kissing her back.

No talking, just not for a few more seconds. Only her touch is enough for now; her lips on mine, our fingers linked, her stomach pressed against my hipbone and our legs grazing each other.

As we pull apart for some air, Arizona puts a lock of hair back behind my ear.

"So, I missed you yesterday," she remarks and licks her bottom lip.

"You did, huh?" I say; my eyes focused on her lips.

One hand travels to her thigh and rests there, while the other finds its way over to the small of her back, supporting a little of her weight as she still has to stand on one leg because of her casted foot. I never thought I was much of an initiative taker, but with Arizona, it feels so comfortable and I can't help but to long for the small physical contact.

"Not to sound too corny, but I missed you too."

"You probably have to train again this afternoon?" she asks looking me in the eye.

"Yeah," I reply with a little pout. Though I love to hang out with the team and play basketball, I hate not being able to spend a little more time with Arizona. "What are you up to this weekend?"

The blonde narrows her eyes for a second, thinking while her fingers stroke my skin lightly. "Sunday I have to visit my aunt Sue, but I'm free on Saturday," suddenly her mouth opens a little, one corner of her lips raised. "Are you asking me out on a date, Calliope Torres?"

"I might be," I answer with a sly grin. However, when I start to think about tomorrow it's my turn to drop my jar. "My Dad arranged a few driving lessons for me during the day, but we could meet later that night?"

"Sounds good to me," she smiles. "It's so exciting you're getting your license though! I'm so bummed I can't drive anymore with this stupid cast on," her eyebrows furrow a little in frustration.

"I know," I nod and touch her cheek for a second and her face softens immediately. "Don't worry, in a week or two I can drive you anywhere you want to go and then, before you know it, you'll be able to drive yourself again."

The blonde's face lights up at my words and smiles thankfully. "So, where do you want to go tomorrow? Your place, my place? Somewhere else?"

I stay silent for a few seconds, over thinking her proposal. "Well... I kinda have good memories of your room," I raise my eyebrows suggestively. "I'm not sure if I can ask Aria to drive me though. Not that I wouldn't," I start to ramble nervously. "Because I'm not ashamed of you... of us, but I'm not sure how she will feel about it and if my Dad finds out..." I feel my cheeks burning up. "I'm just not sure if I'm ready for that."

"It's okay, it's okay," Arizona says soothingly. "If you don't want people to find out about us yet, that's okay. And when the time comes and you want to shout it from the rooftops, that's okay too," she giggles softly. "Whenever you are ready. It can wait, I can wait."

"Thanks," I mumble a little relieved and lace my fingers together with hers again. Then I observe the room a little more closely and when it dawns on me I can't help but to giggle at the irony.

The lips of the cheerleader slowly curl into a smile. "What's going on?"

"I'm sorry," I apologize. "I just can't believe we're having this conversation in a closet." The blonde rolls her eyes for a second before she starts to laugh along with me. When our giggles subdue, her eyes grow wider in realization of something.

"Oh, Mickey knows already though," she bites her bottom lip. "He isn't the kiss and tell type of guy though. I hope that's okay?"

"Sure, sure," I reassure the blonde, pressing a kiss quickly on her cheek. "I know how close you are with your brother." Just when I'm about to kiss her on the lips, the school bell rings and we jump a little at the sound.

"He could totally pick you up tomorrow, though! He'd do that for me," she ignores the shuffling in the hallway and flashes me a smile. "Around eight?"

"_Perfecto_."

"You know it's all kinds of sexy when you speak to me like that, right?" she says leaning in for another kiss and I feel my cheeks fluster. My lips find hers again but a few seconds later I pull back.

"We should probably get to class," I mumble with a heavy sigh. Why am I even saying this? I feel like slamming my head against a door right now. But Arizona seems to have something else in mind. A smirk appears on her face as she playfully pushes me against the wall. Then she hops over to me, pins my hands beside me and pushes her body against mine to find her balance.

"We can be a little late. I'd say it's permitted," she replies huskily into my ear before her lips meet mine again.

--...---...---...--

Practice that afternoon was pretty good. My head was constantly up at cloud nine with Arizona, but hey, what else has been new the past few weeks. At least now there is some kind of peace in my thoughts, compared to the chaos lately. It produced some kind of new energy, a mixture of happy, anxious and other crazed feelings, which gave an extra focus and edge to my moves.

The girls from the varsity team seemed to really accept me now in the team as well. Lucy was still the girl I practiced most with, but the others seemed to communicate with me a lot better during and after the games too than before.

"Hey Callie?" Katie, a perky brunette tries to get my attention while I am rummaging through my locker. Quickly I direct my gaze towards the girl beside me and I throw her a smile.

"Yeah, what's up?" I reply while shoving a bag into the locker and I look around us for a moment. Most girls already left the room, except for Lucy and a few lingering around probably waiting for Katie to join them.

"Well... us girls were wondering if you wanted to come to our weekly work-out this Sunday. Last year, the coaches wanted us to bond together as a team and to get to know each other better, so we decided to meet up at Sunday mornings to work out a little to stay fit. Besides, working out alone can be kind of boring... Oh, and when the weather will let us, we'll have lunch in the park," the brunette rambles. "So, are you in?"

"I'll have to check in with my parents first, but yeah, I'm up for it," I nod enthusiastically.

"Great!" Katie sounds sincere. "We gather at the entrance at ten. Let me or Lucy know if you're coming or not. Have fun this weekend!" she waves before leaving the room with her friends.

A few seconds later Lucy appears at my side and drops herself at the bench with a grin on her face.

"What?" I ask her putting my sneakers on.

"Look at you, being invited into the inner circle," Lucy remarks jokingly. "Seriously though, it seems like you're really finding your place around here."

The corners of my mouth slowly curl into a smile. "Yeah, it's nice."

"So, what's been new anyway? I know practice can take a lot of time, especially since you're training with the juniors as well..." Lucy admits as she puts her feet on the bench as well, tying her laces. "Do you feel like going for drinks right now? You can tell me all about your week."

"Sure, sounds like fun!" I reply when I close my locker. "Ready to go?"

--...---...---...--

Two hours later as I am walking into my house I can't get the smile of my face. Just when I'm about to reflect on my day, I hear footsteps approaching from the dining room.

"Calliope," my father's voice echoes in the hall. "In here please." Ouch, his voice sounds cold, as he is upset about something. Quickly I put down my schoolbag, take off my coat and follow him into the room.

"Sit down." Maybe I've been cheering a little too early. Again, I do as he tells me and look him in the eyes.

"What's wrong, Daddy?"

He folds his hands together as he lets out a little sigh.

"Don't you have anything to say?"

"I'm sorry?" I carefully probe. My father raises his eyebrows, waiting for a further explanation. "I'm sorry for whatever you think I did wrong?" I continue a little cheekily and look at him innocently.

"Calliope. What is going on in that head of yours? You don't seem yourself anymore, lately. Do you have any idea how late it is, _señorita_?"

My eyes avert towards the clock.

"Five past six?"

"Exactly. You are late, little lady. You could've at least called, your mother and I were worried about you," he gives me a stern look.

"But... Aria comes and goes all the time. She often comes in one minutes before seven o'clock, right before dinner!" I argue with a pout.

"But she calls, _Mija_," my father stresses the first to last word. "That's the big difference. What were doing the whole afternoon anyway?"

"Basketball practice," I answer proudly. "I think I might be getting quite good at it, _papá_! Afterwards, Lucy, a girl from the team, and I went to get a drink."

He nods calmly before starting on another rant.

"I'm afraid this basketball adventure might be taking a little too much time, Callie. You have school to worry about as well. Usually I would trust you with this but I hardly see you do any homework at all lately," I hear the disappointment in his voice and I begin to feel a little hurt.

"It's not an adventure, Daddy! It's a sport. Which I might actually be _good_ at," I add a little indignant. "And I do make my homework, you're just not around when I do," I mumble softly, trying to get rid of the accusatory tone in my voice.

"Maybe those driving lessons weren't such a good idea after all," he stares at the wall. It's like he hasn't heard a word of what I've said.

"No, _ por favor,_" I plead. "I promise you that I can handle it. You can rely on me for that, Daddy."

"Fine," he agrees. "But I'll be watching you, just so you know that. You'll always be my little girl, no matter how grown up or responsible you might seem. So, young lady, what are your plans for the weekend, besides the previously discussed driving lessons?"

"Well, I'm going over to Arizona's tomorrow night, and-"

"Aria's friend?" my father looks at me expectantly.

"Yes, the one you met last week. She's my friend now as well," I say confidently.

"Right," he nods. "It was about time you and your sister at least shared something besides your genes."

"And I've been invited to train with the basketball team on Sunday," I hesitantly say, knowing this was going to cause some trouble.

"When is that exactly? You know you to go to church," after he's done speaking his lips form a thin line.

"In the morning," I admit. "But I was thinking, instead of going in the morning, I could go to the evening mass."

"There is no point in arguing, is there?" he furrows his eyebrows.

"Thank you!" a smile appears on my face again and I walk over to him to give him a hug. As I walk out of the room to take a shower, I can feel his eyes follow me.

"Dinner is in forty-five minutes!"

--...---...---...--

The rest of the evening was pretty uneventful. My mom and I had a quick heart to heart talk about Saturday night. My dad's point about Arizona being the only thing my sister and I had to share didn't sit well with me, to be honest. As I said before, sharing isn't something we do well and I really want this working out in all of our favors. Luckily, my mother comforted me by saying that we are both way more grown up than before and that Arizona has a say in this as well. Besides, Aria has been really busy with Tommy and cheering lately so she doesn't have as much for friends anymore anyway, which is a good point as well.

The next day I had my first driving lessons. At first I was really nervous, but after a few hours I got the hang of it and the instructor said it shouldn't take too long to get me a license. I felt pretty good after that, but that was nothing compared to the evening I had. I don't think I have ever laughed so hard in my entire life before. We had the best time talking, giggling, laughing and watching a little TV together. And to be completely honest, there was some making out as well. At that thought a grin appears on my face again.

And today there was of course the work out in the park with the girls from the basketball team. Again, I was a little nervous at first but the pace wasn't that high as I expected. For the most part I ran together with Lucy and in the end Katie joined us. The weather was what to be expected of Miami weather; sunny with a soft breeze. Practically perfect in every way. After the work out we all had lunch at a diner across the park and discussed the upcoming tournament. The first game is upcoming Tuesday and it looks like I might have a chance to actually play too. Last week, two girls injured themselves, one during practice and one at home. This all comes down to the fact that they can't play the entire game and the team needs a few people on the side to back them up.

As promised, I went to mass tonight instead of this morning. That was about an hour ago, and now I'm in my room bending over some homework. Just when I'm about to call it quits, there are two knocks on the door, which means it's my mother. Aria knocks rapidly, mostly three times, Dad knocks once and waits for a reply and my mother gives two knocks before opening the door.

"What's up?" I say as I twirl around in my chair.

"Arizona's on the phone for you," she replies. "Don't make it too late, tomorrow is a school day," she says before handing over the phone.

"Thanks, Mom," I nod as she leaves my room and closes the door. Quickly I make my way over to my bed and drop myself ungraciously on the covers.

"Hey you," I say happily into the phone.

"Hi," she answers. "You sound upbeat. Good day?"

"Yeah," I say truthfully. "And now you're calling it's even better."

"Ahw," she giggles softly. "So, what did you do that makes you so happy?"

Softly I shake up a few pillows and make myself comfortable.

"Well, this morning I had a work out session with the basketball team in the park. We went jogging and stuff."

"That must've been fun," Arizona agrees. "I hate not being able to work out anymore," I hear her pouting over the phone.

My lips curl into a smile before answering. "Aw, I'm sorry," I say sympathetically. "If you ask me, you don't have to exercise at all," I continue hoping she will take it as the intended compliment.

"Thanks, but I like to stay in shape so I can continue cheering later in the season. I can still do some abs exercises, but they tend to be quite boring... When that happens, I can't help but to think about our run together a while back," she says seductively and I feel my cheeks fluster.

"If it makes you feel any better, I was thinking about you this morning. All day, to be honest, but especially this morning," I attempt to play the game along. After a few seconds she casually asks if Lucy was there as well.

"Yeah, she was. She's a part of the team. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason. She just...er... seemed to act a little... strange in the cafeteria the other day," the blonde admits.

True, Lucy hasn't been acting nicely towards Arizona, even though she was supposedly looking out for me.

"Hmm, she can be like that sometimes. She's a really nice girl though," I reply, trying to make her feel better. When she doesn't reply immediately, I try to change the subject. "So, how was your day at aunt Sue's?"

"I had a pretty good time," she answers. I'm relieved to hear that the worry I detected in her voice is gone. "Kenny has a hard time sitting still because of his ADHD, as I have told you before. Usually, when we're visiting family, Mickey and I take him outside to play a game or something but because of my leg we couldn't today. So, we had to keep him entertained inside the house, which was a fun challenge."

"That sounds like fun," I say laughing out loud. "I'm really looking forward to seeing you again tomorrow at school," I blurt out, out of nowhere.

"Yeah, me too," I can imagine her smiling to herself right now. "I'm not sure what I'm up to later that day. There is cheer practice I won't be attending, and there is a meeting once again from the activities committee in the afternoon, but I have no idea how long that'll take. I'll drop by in the gym after I'm done though," she says, knowing I have practice until late in the afternoon. Then I hear some muted conversation over the phone and after a few seconds I hear my girlfriend's voice again. "I'm sorry, but I have to go, my Dad wants me to go to sleep," she sighs.

"I understand. Sweet dreams," I reply softly.

"Good night, Calliope," her voice sounds softened as well and with that we hang up the phone to go to sleep.

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**Don't be shy to give me a review! **


	12. All About Us

Times Like These

Disclaimer: _I do not own the characters or anything related to Grey's Anatomy. That's courtesy of Shonda Rimes and ABC. This fiction is not meant to make money or to be harmful in any way. It's just pure for amusement._

**Author's Note**: This is one of my favorite chapters so far. Thanks for sticking by me for almost six months so far! :) I hope you all really like this, I've worked quite hard on this chapter. Enjoy!

Thanks to lizadizzle for beta'ing.

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**Chapter 12 - **_**All About Us**_

Once again Arizona had kept her word and dropped by during practise. Unfortunately, the cheerleaders wanted her to join them to work on some sort of choreography. Consequently when the coaches sent us home to rest for the game tomorrow, she was still preoccupied and we didn't get a chance to meet up. As I exited the gym she signed to me that she would call me, so here I am, two hours later, in my room yawning over some English literature homework, waiting for her call.

Suddenly an unsure knock on my door disrupt me from my thoughts. Expecting it's my Dad, I shout out '_¡Adelante!' _with my pen still in my mouth, fixated on the book before me. When the door doesn't open, I put the pen down and walk over to the door. Opening it, I'm faced with a doubtful blonde.

"I'm sorry," she says and bites her bottom lip. "I didn't know if I could come in, because your door was closed and when I knocked you said something in Spanish," she takes a breath, "and I don't understand Spanish," a blush appears on her cheeks.

"Sorry," I apologize as well. "I thought you were my Dad," I cringe a little at the thought and open the door a little more. "Here, come in. And for the record; you are _always_ welcome to come into my room."

"Thanks," Arizona smiles as she slowly makes her way into my room, supported by her crutches.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you, but how come you're here?"

The blonde stops in the middle of the room and turns around to face me, still with a smile plastered on her face. "Well... Aria wanted to show us some choreography on videotape here and I snuck out," she says raising her eyebrows seductively.

"Really?" I ask walking up behind her and wrapping my arms around her slender waist. "I must say I fully support that decision," I whisper into her ear.

"Mmm," she murmurs as she leans against my body and relaxes into my embrace. Carefully I take over her crutches and place them against a bookcase with my one hand and support Arizona with the other. As I place my head over her shoulder, I slowly breathe in some air and a sweet sent comes to my senses.

"I love your perfume," I softly say when I push her hair back and kiss the exposed skin of her neck.

"Mmm," a little moan escapes her and I feel her shiver against me. "You can't do that," she tells me with a smile on her face. Deciding to ignore her order, I keep placing small kisses on the back of her neck, shoulder and collar bone and my fingers absently play with the brim of her T-shirt. "Because when you do stuff like that," she gasps with her eyes closed, "you make my one functioning knee all weak."

At that moment I feel her body slide down a little and rapidly tighten my grip on her.

"Don't worry. I've got you," I assure her with a smile before placing one arm under her knees and lifting her into my arms. The blonde shrieks and tenses up at the unexpected movement and starts laughing as I carry her over to my bed. "Hold on," I tell her, while looking for some pillows. When she doesn't do anything, I look her expectantly in the eye. "I mean, literally, hold on," I repeat with a smirk.

"Oh," her eyes grow a little wider and she quickly folds her arms around my neck. Then I release one arm from her back, grab a few pillows from the top of my bed and throw them against the wall. Gently I put her down on my bed and for the sake of being courteous, I cheekily say "My lady."

She laughs at my comment and looks at me with raised eyebrows.

"Look at you being all strong," she says in awe, the dimples in her cheek clearly visible.

"Training will do that to you," I reply as I sit down next to her. "Don't think I want you out of here, quite the contrary, but don't you think you'll be missed downstairs?" I ask propping myself up against some pillows.

"Nah, they can keep themselves entertained for a while," Arizona replies with a giggle. "On a serious note; we cheerleaders tend to be a little engrossed in our own world sometimes, so I think we're okay," she winks at me before rolling over to me. "Where did we leave off?" she leans over and holds her head still about an inch from mine, her face dead serious. "I don't seem to remember properly," she whispers with a teasing tone.

The only thing I can do is look into her blue eyes, my mouth hanging open a little, batting my eyelashes once or twice. I don't think she knows what she is doing to me sometimes. At that thought my corners slowly curl into a smile. Then my fingers cup her chin, closing the gap between us and instinctively I kiss her soft lips. My left arm slides around her waist and pulls her closer until she's practically on top of me, her casted foot draped over my shins. A slender hand slowly roams my upper leg, causing sparks of electricity to flow back and forth in my torso. Subsequently I deepen our kiss and within seconds I feel her responding.

The kisses we have shared so far were always nice, intimate and special but this time there is something that really sets it apart. It's passionate, yet sensual and lust is reflected in both our eyes.

As we pull apart for some air, a smirk appears on her delicate features.

"Oh, right," she says a little out of breath. "Now I remember..."

Softly laughing at her comment, I brush a lock of golden hair out of her face. Then my lips find their way over to hers again, our tongues joining, hungry for more. My fingers track her spinal cord upwards, lifting her shirt along the way and on account of my touch a moan escapes her lips and she pushes her stomach against mine, making the sparks in my body concentrate on my center.

I'm so engrossed with the feeling of our tongues matching and preoccupied by the touch of her thumbs drawing circles on my hipbone that I don't hear three rapid knocks and the door opening until several seconds later.

"Callie, Lucy is on-" Aria's voice stops mid-sentence, startling both Arizona and me. We both turn our heads in her direction, looking at a very stunned Aria, who lets the phone slip from her fingers. "... the phone," she mutters as it falls on the floor. She looks back and forth between the phone, Arizona and me. "_¡Dios mío!_"

Arizona quickly rolls off me and subtly rubs a few fingers across her lips.

"Calliope, _teléfono_," Aria mutters, staring at the wall.

Still processing what just happened I crawl off my bed. Before I walk over to Aria, I gently squeeze Arizona's hand before letting go. Then I pick up the phone from the floor and answer it. "This is Callie speaking," I say, a little distracted. Then I hear my bedroom door closing and I turn around to see if Aria has left the room. But nothing less is true, she is pacing back and forth, rambling in Spanish. It's something all Torres family members seem to do in times of discomfort.

"Hey, this is Lucy. I have some news-" Lucy's voice brings me back to reality and I quickly peek at Arizona who is looking just as stunned as Aria, but I also see worry and inner conflict in her eyes.

"Hey Luce, can you make it quick?" I see Arizona's eyebrows shoot up and the use of Lucy's nickname and I can tell she is listening along. "I kind of have a situation at the moment."

"Sure, listen," I try to focus my attention on the girl on the other side of the line. "I'm calling because of tomorrow. The game is cancelled."

"What?" I say shocked, turning around to hide from the scenario in from of me.

"Or at least, it's postponed. I just got the call from the coach myself, we're trying to reach everybody... Anyway, the team we're up against is suddenly a few players short because of a car accident. They need some time to recruit new players and integrate them into the team. They have eight days to do so."

"Damn," I mutter under my breath. All this extra work the past week was for nothing?

"I know right," Lucy sighs. "We seem to manage fall-out quite well. I just thought to let you know. I'll let you get back to your stuff."

"Yeah, thanks for calling," I reply.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Lucy ends the conversation.

"Okay, bye," I answer before hanging up the phone. Then I turn around again to see that everything has remained motionless, except for a ranting Aria.

"_¿Cómo pudo suceder esto? Por el amor de... ¿cuánto tiempo? Delante de mis narices. Mi hermana pequeña. Mi nueva novia. Juntos. Es tan malo. ¿Cómo? Dios mío, Dios mío._" Suddenly she stops in her tracks and averts her gaze to Arizona. "Arizona, when you were gone just now I figured you were to the bathroom or something or got lost in the hallways or anything like that," Aria states.

"I'm not lost," the fellow cheerleader simply answers.

"Callie, don't you have anything to say for yourself?" Aria now stares at me, her eyebrows furrowed and her hands placed on her hips.

"Uh," I stutter. "The game. Tomorrow. It's off," I manage to get out and raise my shoulders. At that comment, Aria looks once back and forth between the two of us again before storming out of the room.

"Woah," Arizona utters after we both have stared at the door for several seconds. I realize I'm gaping at the door so I close my mouth and walk over to the bed again. Before I plump down beside her, I swallow and look over at Arizona.

"You can say that again..."

"Woah," she repeats and when I look at her I fall into a fit of giggles and she laughs along with me. After our laughing has subdued, Arizona moves to the edge of my bed and sits up straight. "What now?" she asks with concern in her voice. "Who knows what Aria is up to" she ponders. I take a smaller hand into my own and let our hands rest on my lap after I shuffled closer to her, our legs touching.

"Frankly, I don't care. She can run downstairs and tell the entire school what she just saw and we can be the hot topic everybody will discuss for a few hours, days or weeks. I don't care. She can go and tell my Dad, and he'll cause some trouble, but I don't care. As long as I have you, I'll be fine and survive. For the same part she keeps her mouth shut, as long as you're comfortable with it, then so am I," I stroke her thumb lightly.

Two dimples appear on her cheeks as she flashed me broad smile, her eyes sparkling.

"I am. Come what may," she says confidently.

"Exactly," I nod and kiss a dimpled cheek.

"Shall I go downstairs and check out what's going on? The girls will probably get ready to leave in a moment and I have to catch a ride."

"Hmm," I link my fingers around hers. "I wish you could stay a little longer..."

"Me too," she sighs softly. "But I don't see me staying over for dinner ending well, with us and Aria around one table. Not to mention your parents."

"Hmm, no," I contemplate. "It'll just be me, Aria and my parents," I say raising my eyebrows. "Thanks for that clarification."

Arizona laughs softly before planting a quick kiss on my nose.

"You'll be fine."

That night dinner passed very, very quietly. Arizona had left an hour earlier with the other cheerleaders and since then Aria hadn't looked at me yet. Luckily my father was in a good mood and talked about his work and organizing a family barbecue for a good twenty minutes. A mere five minutes I had myself excused to make some homework for the rest of the evening.

The next morning Dad dropped me off at school since Aria had the first few hours off. Though I like spending time with Andy during classes, I might as well not show up for educational purposes. Instead of making notes and listening to the teacher, I was doodling away in my notebook thinking about either basketball or Arizona. I can't deny Aria slipped into my thoughts every now and then as well. This whole not-paying-attention thing is nothing to worry about anyway, I can keep up just fine if I just do some studying of my own, preferably at home.

The school bell brings me back to reality and quickly I throw my unopened books back into my schoolbag.

"Thank God or whoever designed the human being with the constant need for new fuel, a.k.a. lunch break," Andy sighs as she puts her own bag around her shoulder.

"Tell me about it," I reply with a smirk as we walk out of the classroom. "Hey, I have to find someone first but I'll join you in a minute," I tell me friend nodding towards the cafeteria.

"Sure," Andy returns a smile and when I see her walking away towards the food counter I turn around, heading towards a certain blonde's locker.

When I arrive at locker 223 Arizona is already there, shoveling some books around and incidentally dropping a stack of papers. I stop in my tracks to just stare at her a moment, taking in several factors of that moment; the sight of a beautiful blonde girl, the vibrance of her presence near me and the tingling in my stomach.

"God," I hear her mutter before she leans back against the locker beside her and lets herself slide onto the floor, carefully stretching out her casted foot the entire time.

"Is that working out for you?" I ask teasingly as I pick up some lost papers on the floor.

"No," she admits with a sigh and a blush creeps upon her cheeks. "How long have you been standing there?"

Now it's my turn to turn a little red. It's probably best not to admit that you've been indeed staring at the pretty cheerleader.

"Long enough to notice a dame in distress," I hand over the papers. "You shouldn't be doing that. Here, let me help you."

She takes my offered hand and I pull her up, our bodies already accustomed to each other and when she's standing up straight I take a step back, aware of our close proximity. Before leaving her side I quickly absorb some of the one thing I missed a few feet away just now: scent.

While the corners of my mouth slowly curl into a smile I gather around the final pieces of paper and place them in her locker.

"Thanks."

"So how did it go yesterday afternoon? When I came downstairs you all had left," I wonder, leaning against locker 224.

"She didn't even look at me," she says softly and I know she's a little disappointed. I'm used to Aria being... well, Aria as a sister but I can imagine it must be hard when she's your friend. "When I came down the girls were already packing up to leave, the movie had just ended. And I didn't have class until now and Aria doesn't have Social Civics..."

"And you do?" I say curiously.

"Yeah," she replies smiling proudly but her smile falls again after a few seconds. "How was your evening?"

"Pretty... silent. But I'm partly to blame for that, I chickened out and hid in my room," I grin sheepishly. I could've just said 'avoided', but no, make it sound like you're five years old. "Can't say I wasn't productive though," I try to cover up by referencing to my heavy schoolbag. "Anyway, I haven't seen her this morning either."

The cheerleader nods a little absent-mindedly as she looks at the entrance of the cafeteria.

"Let's go have something to eat," I motion towards the entrance.

Arizona shakes her head quickly. "Let's not."

"You don't have to be afraid of Aria," I remark reassuringly, hoping to take some of that fear from her eyes. "She probably hasn't said anything anyway. Besides, those are your friends in there. I know they hold a big place in your heart and they love you."

"Okay then," she looks me in the eye and grabs her crutches.

When we're three feet into the cafeteria I turn towards the blonde. "I'm going to sit right over there, but I'm here in less than a second if you need me, okay?" Softly I grasp her arm to put emphasis on my words. "You can do this."

She firmly nods and when she puts on a megawatt smile I know she'll do just fine. With a smile of my own I retreat to my usual table and I feel some more relief I hear her chatter happily with one of the girls a few seconds later.

"What was all that about?" Lucy asks with a raised eyebrow as I sit down beside her.

"What?" I say a little unfocused, my thoughts still evolving around the group of cheerleaders.

"Well, with the touching, the arm, the smiles," Lucy says tying her red hair in a loose ponytail.

"Huh?" I say goofily, gathering all my thoughts together. "Nothing, it's nothing. We're friends," I answer retrieving an apple from my bag. "And honestly, I don't care what you think about it, we're still going to be friends," I add a little irritated by her interference.

"Let her be, Luce," Andy interrupts before the redhead can say anything back.

"Fine, fine," Lucy holds her hands up in the air. "Whatever. I'll keep myself out of it." With that promise I grant my friend a small smile and focus my attention on what this place is meant for: eating your food.

Days went by as school continued. The basketball team kept training for the upcoming game, just like the cheer leaders. Life was busy for me; between actual classes I had to fit in homework, training, driving lessons, so-called quality time with Arizona and last, but not least, sleep.

Aria had not spoken to me nor Arizona for five days so far. Mom and Dad noticed, of course, but hadn't brought it up. Both gave hints to make it up with each other, but they hadn't asked what was going on. Whatever was wrong, we had to fix it by ourselves this time. While I appreciate their tactics, I don't think this is going to be solved that easily. Aria avoided me as much as possible - with my busy schedule that wasn't too hard for her - and I don't feel like apologizing for something which isn't wrong to start with.

"Honey, can I come in?" I hear my mother call out from the other side of my bedroom door.

"_¡Si!_" Quickly I organize a few things on my desk before I hear her opening the door and walking up to me. Silently, she grabs a chair and sits down.

"Callie, what is going on with you and your sister?" So much for the no-interference-deal.

"Nothing," I reply but when I look into my mother's eyes I know I can't lie and quickly add that it's not important.

"Clearly it is, because you can cut the tension in this house with a knife this past week."

"I know," I sigh audibly. "I'm sorry. I can't really talk about it..."

"You don't have to," she nods. "As long as you talk with Aria about it."

"I don't think I can, Mom," I look her in the eye again.

She looks at me with narrowed eyes for a few seconds, clearly overthinking some things.

"Is this about Arizona?"

My eyes grow wider with surprise before answering hesitantly. "Yes."

She stands up and takes me into her arms, sitting down on one of my arm rests. "Then don't worry too much, mija. I can see how good this girl is to both you and Aria. I actually don't think I've seen you this happy since back in Nashville. It's not impossible to share a friend."

Slowly I nod in understanding, wondering to tell her the real deal.

"This must have been hard for Arizona too then, standing in between two sisters in conflict?"

"I suppose so," I reply with another sigh.

"Are you done with your homework already?" Mom asks pointing at the Math in front of me.

"Yeah, pretty much..." I say closing up a few books.

"Tell me, where does Arizona live exactly?"

What an odd question, I think to myself furrowing my eyebrows. "About a ten-minute drive, why?"

"Is it a busy road? Many traffic lights, round-abouts?" she asks, ignoring my question.

"No, it's pretty simple."

"Hmm, all right then," she contemplates and grabs her car key from her pocket. "Here. Your Dad spoke to the driving instructor this morning and he said you're almost ready to take your exam, you just have to work on your parking and special operations. Your father is working late and Aria is at the salon so she won't be back for another few hours. I'd drive you there myself but Elise is coming over. Just promise me to drive _ very _carefully, to be back in 2.5 hours and to never tell Aria or your father," she says and hands over the key.

A smile tugs at my lips as I look down at the key. "Wow, thanks. But why would you-?"

"Because I hate to see my daughter miserable, let alone two."

A soft laugh escapes my lips as I hug her once more. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"See. There's that smile I love so much. Now go, don't make me regret it by harming the car, or worse, yourself or anyone else involved."

"I won't."

In the fifteen minutes of traveling time it didn't occur to me that there is a possibility that Arizona isn't home. True, all classes were done and we decided to work on school a little this afternoon, but still. No, the thought didn't rise until now, now that I'm parked in front of their house.

Mom was right by the way, traffic was really calm and I managed to drive myself over here quite safely. Parking didn't go so bad either, for me anyway.

On the other hand, I can sit here overthinking things some more, or I can go over there and possibly spend time with my favorite girl in the entire world. I decide to go with the latter and quickly get out of the car.

About a minute later the woman who I saw at the basketball several weeks ago opens the door. It's funny how I've been here a couple times now and I've spoken her on the phone, but I've never actually met Arizona's mother. Let alone her father, I haven't even seen him or spoken to him.

"Hello, I'm Callie Torres, it's nice to meet you," I introduce myself extending my arm. "I'm here for Arizona. I'm sorry to come over unannounced like this, but I just got the opportunity not to long ago..." I say nervously.

"It's nice to finally meet you as well, Callie," the older woman shakes my hand. "And it's fine, I'm glad you're coming all the way over here for Arizona. I know how much her friends mean to her. And now she's struggling with her foot it hasn't been always that easy and for the past few days no one has come over either..." I see a hint of sadness appear in the sea green eyes of the slender woman. "Anyway, please come in," she adds and opens the door some more while stepping aside.

"Thank you," I answer shyly and step into the hallway.

"Arizona, honey, there's company for you," mrs. Robbins calls out and a few seconds later I hear the sound of crutches against hardwood floor approaching us.

"Callie?" Arizona exclaims surprised as she appears from the left entrance. "What... what are you doing here?"

"I came to see you," I answer simply and I see a smile form on the blonde's face.

"I'll take that as my cue to leave," Arizona's mother stated with a wink. "Would you like to stay for dinner, Callie?"

"No, thank you for the offer, mrs. Robbins, but I promised my mother I'd be home by then," I say quickly and I can't unnotice Arizona sighing a little relieved.

"All right, have fun you two," mrs. Robbins nods and exits towards the kitchen.

When she's gone, Arizona puts a finger in front of her lips and nods towards the door, her eyes shifting nervously.

"Outside," she whispers and makes her way over to the door. I open it for her and as we slip out she calls out "I'm out!".

When I look at her with raised eyebrows she quickly apologizes and motions me to sit down.

"Sorry, it's just that my Dad's home and he has the hearing of a vulture... And he's tough, to deal with...Anyway," her lips curl into a smile again. "I'm glad you're here though."

"Yeah, me too."

"How did you get here exactly?" she asks while sitting down on the porch steps.

Without saying a word I retrieve the car key out of my pocket and show her, pointing towards the car with my other hand.

"Did you pass already?" the blonde exclaims excitedly.

"No," I say innocently. At that, her eyes grow wider and her mouth falls open.

"You didn't... steal it, did you?"

Now it's my turn to gasp.

"Oh my God, Arizona, of course not," I answer with a laugh. I've got my own Justitia right here, I guess. "My mother lent me the car," I start to explain. "She might be big on superstition and stuff, but she's also a fan of family traditions. I can recall her telling a story once about her own mother letting her ride on a Moped without a license."

The cheerleaders laughs softly and kicks me playfully against my leg.

"I'm glad we took this outside, my father would very likely kill you if he heard this."

I scrunch up my nose before smiling mischievously.

"Wanna make it a little worse?"

Arizona grins back as she starts to carefully caress my leg with her uncasted foot.

"What were you thinking?"

"Well... I was wondering if you'd like to go up that mountain over there," I say absent-mindedly, a little surprised at her bold move. "You know, into the woods, with me. That way I can practise special operations for driving and I thought you could teach me some parking skills."

"I love the woods," she states before standing up. When she's walking over to the car, she looks back over her shoulder. "Besides, I'm an awesome teacher," she says flirtatiously and adds a small wink. "I'm quite... skilled," she adds and smiles broadly while leaning against the car. "Coming?"

That's something I don't let myself get told twice and make my way over to her.

* * *

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